The Lost Spirit
by Heartz4Jesus
Summary: 10-year-old Chihiro lost her parents during a beach outing and thus entered into a state of depression. After 4 years on one fateful night, she was killed in a car accident. The loss of her memory and the danger she faces doesn't make things easy for Haku and everyone else when they finally meet. Surviving against the odds isn't easy, unless true love is truly the most powerful.
1. Lost

The Lost Spirit: Lost

_Flashing lights everywhere. The car horns rang about in my ear drums. The braking sound of the tires screeched loudly, as though someone were screaming. Everything went blurry, and I could feel pain on my head, ribs, and limbs. There was a faint, metallic smell of blood filling up the area around me. I was dizzy, and the agonizing pain was shooting up quickly. I was panicked, yet strength was leaving me so quickly, there was no way for me to move. Then… everything went dark._

* * *

[4 years ago…]

The sea breeze blew softly against my hair and clothes, and I stuck my tongue out to taste the salty air. The scenery was breathtaking. The beach had always been my favorite family outing place; the breathtaking scenery, the spacious play area and the ocean that reached all the way to the horizon reminded me of Haku and our promise. The sun was setting, with magnificent streaks of pink, gold and orange painting the sky. I took out my Polaroid to snap a picture. I wanted to remember this moment.

"Chihiro! Where were you? We were supposed to continue building a sandcastle together, remember? C'mon! We have to hurry before the gigantic monster stomps all over it!" Mum shouted.

I ran over to Mum's outstretched arms and I hugged her. I could smell her sweet scent and hand in hand, we ran over to our unfinished sandcastle, just in time to see Dad running over, pretending to be the horrifying monster about to stomp all over it. "Halt, in the name of Chihiro!" I yelled. The "monster" plastered a shocked expression on his face, and raised both of his hands above his head in surrender. I laughed and ran right into him, causing both of us to fall over in the sand.

"Aww, you guys kicked the sandcastle over." Mum sighed. I was giggling and Dad helped me up. I took out my Polaroid, and the three of us huddled close together to take a picture. The picture that came out was so beautiful; it not only captured the scenery in the background, it also captured the love and eternal bond between us. I was elated and bubbling over with joy. Both of them kissed me on the cheeks, one side each. Then, they went to keep all the playing tools we used to build the sandcastle. I bent down to help, but as I was picking up the shovel, the picture was blown away from my hands, and to the ocean.

"Oh no! That was my best picture so far!" I pouted. "Don't worry; we'll get it for you okay?" Dad patted my head, before heading to the ocean together with Mom. My eyes followed them as their figures before shifting to a sign that read "No swimming during high tide."

Alerted, I leapt up and down, trying to get their attention. "Mom! Dad! Come back! It's high tide now! The sign over there says not to go to the sea when it's high tide! It's too dangerous!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. However, they didn't seem to hear. They were still laughing and giggling away like a typical young couple.

The picture had floated away pretty far from the shore, and Mum stood at the shore to wait for Dad to go get the picture. Dad folded up his pants, and ventured out into the treacherous waters. Soon, the water went up to his knees, then his waist, and then his chest. I was beginning to get worried, so I started to run to them to stop them.

Suddenly, a horrible scream broke my train of thoughts. I looked up to see Dad waving his arms above his head frantically. _Oh dear._ The strong current was pushing him away. Without hesitation, Mom jumped in to chance saving him. My feet rooted and planted themselves firmly on the sand, too shocked to move.

The two of them struggled to swim back, and pedal as they might, but they were still moving backwards with the force of the current. "Stay there, honey! We'll be back soon!" Mom shouted, though it was clear that swimming back ashore would be a daunting and extremely challenging task.

I had a feeling she didn't want me jumping in as well, so I stayed there, unable to move my limbs. I watched as they floated away, their heads getting tinier and tinier as they floated further out to sea. Soon, they disappeared from my sight. Everything around me seemed to darken too soon, but I had promised my parents to stay there and wait for them. I lay on the sand, wishing upon the stars that when I woke up, they would be lying right there beside me…

The next morning I woke up to a sunrise, however, my parents were nowhere in sight. I was afraid, and terrified. _What if something bad had happened to them? What if they leave me here all alone? I'm scared… Haku… Where are you..? You're the Kohaku River! Please help to protect my parents… I'm scared… _

I remained seated on the sand, but after a few hours, I felt slightly dizzy under the blazing sun. The sand burned beneath me, and it was scorching hot. '_Where had the calming sea breeze gone?' _I wondered sadly. The migraine knocked my head again, and my butt lost its balance, making me fall to the , my vision blurred and I was enveloped in darkness.

* * *

When I came to, I was on a bed, and there were monitors around me. There was a strong smell of medicine, and after a while I realized I was in a hospital. A nurse entered the room and looked at me for a while. She seemed to be thinking about something. She then hurriedly went to get the doctor to check up on me. I was still groggy, probably from some drug they gave me. The doctor did a thorough checkup on me and nodded to the nurse. She closed the door and we were left alone in the room. He was smiling at me, though I could detect a hint of grief. _I wonder what happened to him. _

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"I'm fine. What about my parents?" I inquired.

My question seemed to make him flinch a little. He smiled at stroked my hair. His hands were strong and warm, but I felt uncomfortable. "Well, your parents… They... they were found at the beach…" He said with caution. I brightened up almost immediately, and the heavy weight that was on my chest was instantly lifted. "So, that means they're fine! Oh I was so worr-"

"They were found dead on the shore of a nearby island."

It took a few seconds for his words to register. "W-What?"

"Your parents… they've passed away, unfortunately… I'm very sorry…" he murmured a little softer this time, trying to remain as sensitive as possible to my plight.

'…_W-what? No, that's impossible… My parents… My parents promised never to leave me alone… They… promised… Haku… promised…'_

The world seemed to collapse right in front of my eyes. My parents were dead. I could only live with the truth. I would never see them again; we could never play together at the beach again. We would never be together again.

"A-are you… alright?" The doctor was concerned about my frozen-like state.

"It was… my fault… that they died… It's my entire fault… If I hadn't wished to retrieve that picture back, then… they wouldn't have… died…" I was mumbling to myself. I could feel my heart being stabbed and broken into a million pieces. I started screaming and wailing in my agony and pain, making the doctor jump. He tried to calm me down, but I was hitting his arms, trying to get away from him. I wanted to escape everything. I didn't want anything. I just knew that I wanted my parents back!

Hastily, the doctor injected something into me. I screamed at the pain when the needle sunk deep into my flesh before being retracted out, but all too quickly, I felt numb and everything vanished before my eyes. I seeped back into never-ending darkness again, wishing that I could stay there and never wake up.


	2. Despair

The Lost Spirit: Despair

A/N: Updated! Yay! This chapter's kind of short, but I hope it's alright! (:

* * *

When I woke up, I was greeted with sobbing people. My first questions were 'Who are they? Where am I?' and 'What happened?'Some of their faces looked a little familiar. Upon closer inspection, I realized they were my aunts and uncles and grandparents who looked evidently heartbroken. For a moment there, I failed to comprehend what they were crying about since with my knowledge collected from watching dramas, every time someone woke up in the hospital, everyone would be relieved and happy, unless that patient was a bad guy, and in this case I was sure I wasn't.

My grandmother stroked my head soothingly. "Does it still hurt?" Confused, I shook my head and bit my lip. "Why are you crying?"

She looked stunned by my question and exchanged awkward and sad glances with the others. Then, she broke down into more tears and my some of my aunts helped her to a seat at the other end of the room. My brows creased and I frowned. What were they crying for exactly? And if everyone was here, then where were my parents?

My parents.

It was as if someone were opening up my head and squeezing everything in, making it so unbelievably compacted in my tiny brain. Everything flooded back. My parents had passed away and it was my fault. Apparently, my relatives had come to support me, though I just found it more upsetting that they were there to remind me of my grief when I wanted to just forget about everything. A tear dropped onto my cheek.

"Darling, don't be scared… We'll be taking care of you from now on, okay?" Uncle Jeremy said gently. Well, I knew for sure I was not scared, but I was beginning to get infected by the overwhelming sense of grief and the mournful atmosphere was making me a little worked up. Soon enough, I began to cry. Everyone crowded around me, trying to comfort me with insensitive words like "Everything's going to be fine" and "Don't be sad" that they themselves did not believe. Frustration and agitation built up within me. Why couldn't they leave me alone?! I wanted to forget everything! Why did they have to come here and make me feel even worse?!

I finally exploded when yet another round of sobbing arose. "Leave me alone! Go away! Stop talking to me! Just go away! Leave me alone!" I shouted at the top of my lungs to get everyone's attention. Everyone was flabbergasted, and the nurse who was standing nearby could sense that I really needed to be alone, so she shooed everyone out of the room. "I'm sorry, she needs some rest. She's still very emotionally unstable over what happened. You can come visit her another time, but not so many people at a time." she said.

While she was showing everyone out the door, she glanced back at me and gave me a reassuring look. _'Thank you,'_ I mouthed. She smiled warmly at me, though the sadness and pity in her eyes were undeniable.

Once everyone left and silence surrounded me, the tears that I had been keeping in finally flowed down my face. I screamed into the pillow, trying to scream all the agony out. It helped, though soon after my throat was burning. I choked on my tears, and kept sniffling to prevent from getting my mucus all over the hospital bed. I used up all the tissues next to the bed in just a matter of minutes, crying uncontrollably. The nurse from before came in to give me more tissues, and upon seeing my terrible state, she silently and tenderly wrapped her arms around me. I buried my face in her clothes and she sat there, stroking my hair and rocked me gently back and forth, just like Mom used to do to reassure me when I was afraid of monsters hiding in my closet.

At the thought of never being able to see Mom and Dad again, fresh tears were brought to my eyes, and after a long time, I finally ran out of tears. I was so exhausted; I fell asleep almost instantly after I stopped crying. The last thing I felt before drifting into darkness was the nurse placing the covers over me just like they used to…

* * *

Everything felt so surreal, like a dream to me; a nightmare that I wanted to escape. Aunt Sheryl was by my bed, and when she saw I was awake, she hastily opened up the lunch boxes she'd brought along. They revealed salad to eat and a bento set filled with rice and very appetizing side dishes that she had made. That was when I realized I hadn't eaten for at least 2 days, and my stomach was hurting from the hunger, grumbling to me in its own grumpy way. I gobbled down the food eagerly, eventually choking on some in the process.

"Feeling slightly better now?" she asked cautiously, careful not to make me even more emotional.

"Y-yeah… Thank you for the food, Aunt Sheryl…" I tried forcing a smile to show my gratitude, though I could sense I didn't do a very good job since she looked down again.

"You're welcome. Chihiro, since well, after what happened, you'll be staying at our place, and we'll be your guardians; something like your adoptive parents. Just treat us like your real parents, and we promise to love you and take good care of you, okay, Chihiro? You'll be discharged tomorrow and we've already helped to pack up your things so we've already gotten your new room ready with all your things packed inside."

Aunt Sheryl patted my head and asked me if I needed anything. I declined her offer, which seemed to make her feel disappointed, so I requested for more of her homemade food, since I was still hungry. She brightened up immediately, and promised to come back soon with warm food for me.

She left, and I lay facing up on my bed, staring at the ceiling. My bed was near the window, and when I looked out, the blazing ball of fire made it too glaring to look outside. The sun's hot, fiery rays scorched and baked the ground outside; I could almost feel its heat even in the confines of the air-conditioned room.

Out of the blue, a thought hit me. I snapped out of my daydreaming instantly. "Haku! Where are you? Please come soon… I'm really tired and lonely… You're the only person I can trust right now so please, keep your promise and come back now!" I said this aloud, hoping that somewhere, somehow, he could hear my cry for help and come rescue me from my depths of despair, bringing my parents alive and well with him as well.

* * *

The next day, I was riding in the car with Aunt Sheryl and Uncle Jeremy, on the way to my new "home". I knew deep down though, that I would never consider this my 'home'. My true home was where my parents were, which had been taken from me forever. Or should I say my true home had been destroyed by my very own accursed hands?

"C'mon, Chihiro, we're here." Uncle Jeremy called out. He carried all my things upstairs while Aunt Sheryl showed me to my room. It was all done up, and they had obviously put in a lot of effort into making my room resembling my plain and simple original one as much as possible: Ocean blue wallpaper, a queen-sized bed near the window with a small table beside it. A small lamp was situated on it, and it had cute little drawers. My study table was on the other end of the room. It was a classy white, and there were several shelves for me to put my books neatly. My closet was right beside the study table, with a full-length mirror attached on the inside.

It reminded me so much of home, I didn't know whether it was a good or a bad thing. "Thank you…" I murmured. Uncle Jeremy pulled me into a bone-crushing bear hug. "Don't worry about it. From now on, we'll be taking care of you like our very own daughter." My heart stung a little at the statement. No one could ever replace my parents.

They left the room to let me unpack my things. I placed my stuffed toys on the bed, and took out my books, organizing them neatly on the shelves. I placed my laptop on the study table, and placed smaller things inside the drawers. My clothes had already been placed in the closet beforehand. After ensuring everything was packed, I flung myself on the bed. It was as comfortable as my previous bed, though I remembered that on my original bed, I could smell the scent of my parents clearly from coming in every night to kiss me goodnight and sing me to sleep. A tear slid down my face at the memory.

That night, before going to sleep, I wished upon the stars yet again, that everything would be alright soon enough. I thought about all the memories that I had made with my parents, all our times spent at the beach and the love we shared.

I sobbed silently and cradled my purple hair tie. "Please come soon, Haku..."


	3. Chihiro's Mind

The Lost Spirit: Chihiro's Mind

A/N: Okay, here's the updated version because looking back, I think this chapter wasn't too well done. Hopefully this one's better?

* * *

Dear Diary,

Why isn't Haku here yet? He promised we'd meet again, and every day I'm always praying hard for him to come back, but not once have I seen him. Has he forgotten me? I hate staying at Aunt Sheryl's! I really hate having to call this new place my 'home'! I want Mommy and Daddy back! Why won't they come back? Don't they care anymore? It's my fault all these things happened… Kohaku River, please don't leave me… You're the only one left for me now… I'll see you when I wake up tomorrow morning… won't I?

With love,

Chihiro

* * *

[4 years later…]

Dear diary,

Today was horrible, as usual. Math lesson was especially boring with Sensei's monotonous tone. Well, not like I would have cared if he was talking brightly. At least today he didn't bother me with questions. I'm glad for my seat in the corner so lesser people ask me questions regarding homework. Today was as boring as all the others, and I still feel as dead. Today I have no idea why, after school, somehow I ended up at the beach, the exact spot where I stood 4 years ago. Standing there was so nostalgic. The pain in my heart is still as intense as how it was 4 years ago though. I know that I can never be forgiven for what I've done. This is what I deserve. The cool wind blowing against me when I was standing there was mocking me. I hate the beach. I hate water. People say water is precious and the giver of life, but I say it's a curse that follows me everywhere I go. The Kohaku River? I'm not sure of my feelings anymore. There's no reason to think about him anymore, he's already forgotten me cleanly. There's no one left for me... Anyway, back to doing my work. I've promised not to cry anymore over this. It's just a waste of time so bye diary.

Chihiro

* * *

Dear diary,

Today was the same as always, but I've been feeling very dizzy recently. It gets worse each day, though I have no intention of going to the doctor's. I also dislike going to hospitals now… Maybe it's because of all my sleepless nights? But I've been taking sleeping pills to sleep for the past few years and everything's been fine so that shouldn't be the case… I guess it's just temporary. It'll go away in a few days I hope… Anyway today was shit when I got home since Aunt Sheryl decided to have a private talk with me to "get to know me better". My cheeks hurt from smiling so much. Note to self: Next time don't head back too early when Aunt Sheryl is alone at home. Well, hopefully tomorrow my head gets better…

Chihiro

* * *

Dear diary,

This sucks because there's a huge project coming up, and since the class is randomly grouped, I'm stuck with the 2 most annoying guys ever and some girl who's always bugging me with a whole lot of stupid questions. Does she ever use her brain, if she even has one? They seem to know my name, though I have no idea who theirs are; I don't bother to keep track since I don't talk to people anyway. I'd much rather have slackers in my group who leave everything to me so I can do my work in peace. This is horrible luck. Hopefully everything goes well in this group… My dizziness makes it even harder to concentrate on my work with them around…

Chihiro

* * *

A/N: It's a plain and boring chapter, I apologize for that. I just thought it would be interesting to write diary entries for once. I wanted to show Chihiro's contrast in personality, but it'd be weird writing in a narrator's point of view all of a sudden so I decided to update this. But oh well, there's nothing much I can do for a suckish chapter like this, so I really apologize! And thanks for reading! (:


	4. Death

The Lost Spirit: Death

A/N: I've decided to update these earlier chapters because it's really needs some polishing so I've edited this one. Hopefully it's better than before? Maybe when I get more time I'll edit it further because I am totally stealing my homework time to do this. :P Thanks for reading! (:

* * *

"And this is the chemical formula for…" I was tuning out again from yet another science lecture. _This is way too boring… They already give us all the notes to study, so what's the point of giving us lectures that are based on the notes?_ I'd already studied all the notes for my different subjects beforehand, so I could tune out pretty safely and still manage to answer my teachers' questions.

I stared outside the window, my mind blank. The sky was filled with white clouds and the azure blue sky was pretty, but I did not exactly admire it like all those artsy people did. I didn't want to think about anything; I was too tired after staying up to burn the midnight oil studying those notes. My head whirled a little. '_This is the 5__th__ time today morning,' _I groaned internally_._ My dizziness had not subsided, though I was still unwilling to go to a clinic, because I just didn't like doctors. I was pretty much fine with nurses though.

After class, I headed over to the library meeting room to meet up with the rest for some project work that majorly accounted for our grades at the end of the year.

"Seruka-chan, I heard you were making out with Noa?"

"I was not! Then what about you and Mika? I heard you got dumped."

"Shut up! I dumped her, not the other way around!"

I glanced around and slid the worksheet to me and shifted in my seat uncomfortably. They were really being too noisy. "Right, Chihiro?"

At the sound of my name, my head jerked up. Wordlessly, my blank face stared at Masaaki. "Um, never mind then. Let's get back to our project," he sat down a little awkwardly with the rest. My face then relaxed and I realized I'd been glaring instead of blankly staring. My bad. Oh well.

We discussed all the details of the project, and I just silently agreed to whatever they said, other than naming a few of the problems with their plans when they asked.

"Chihiro, sorry if we were too noisy back there. Masaaki is such a nuisance!" Seruki complained and giggled shyly. I gave a tiny smile to get her off my back and then resumed to scribbling down some research details I'd done. "Oh, I really like your handwriting! Gee, you're really good at this stuff, aren't you, Chihiro?" she beamed gleefully. I shot another tiny smile again and continued writing. Finally knowing to give up, she got back to work. I silently muttered a word of thanks to God.

Seruki really was a fine girl like what I'd heard from all the other classmates who talked too loudly in class. Too bad I wasn't exactly intending on making friends, otherwise she would have been number one on my list. I moaned again and dropped my pen, clutching the sides of my head.

"Are you alright, Chihiro?" Shioya asked.

I nodded once. "Do you want to go to the nurse? I could help you there!" Seruki offered rather enthusiastically and worried at the same time. I shook my head quickly, and couldn't help the other moan that escaped sneakily when the world shook again.

"You look pale. You should go. Come on."

"It's fine, really. I'll rest when I get home," I replied in defense.

"She spoke!" Masaaki exclaimed as if some miracle had happened. Both Seruki and I narrowed our eyes at him, making him shut his trap up.

* * *

"Alright, good job today guys! We'll meet up on Friday after school for more work before going out for some dinner!" Seruki said to the other's cheering. I could only keep mum and left quietly after packing up. "Chihiro! I hope you get better soon!" Seruki called after me. A little smile crept up my face at her kindness.

It was evening when I made my way back. The place was crowded since it was more or less the peak hour for those adults getting back home for their families. _'Families…'_ I thought to myself bitterly. My tired legs dragged on and on till they managed to bring me back to the house. I checked my phone. 7:30pm. I was going to have dinner by myself tonight. That one happy thought took its time to register in my mind and I walked through the front gate with slightly lifted spirits.

Just as I entered though, loud banging came from the house. What was happening? If it was one of my cousins' stupid fights again, I was going to kill them. I quickened my pace slightly, and pressed my ear to the front door to hear what was going on. I didn't want to go in, just in case I got involved unnecessarily if it really was one of their childish squabbles.

"... Money… Inheritance… Chihiro… Bringing up…" I was surprised at what I heard. It was Aunt Sheryl and Uncle Jeremy arguing with each other. They hardly argued; they were such a close-knit couple. Intrigue perked up in me the minute I heard my name. If they were talking about me, surely I had the right to know what it was all about. I pressed my ears to the smooth surface of the rosewood door and listened intently.

"Keep… closer eye on…! You… make sure… take her away! The others are trying to take her… inheritance! You know… is the reason… took care of her for… long…" I stopped listening further. They were only 'caring' for me because… of my money…?! (A/N: If you're wondering, the '…' is for the parts that Chihiro couldn't hear.)

My vision blurred and tears stung my eyes. My head was spinning. '_So, there was actually no one who actually cared for me…_' I smirked cruelly at my pathetic state. I should have guessed, after all, would I have been allowed a life filled with love after what I had done to the people who loved me most?The world was spinning around me, and I accidentally made a loud noise stumbling. The arguing in the house stopped, and there was a moment of eerie silence. I dashed out, and clasped my hand over my mouth to stop from regurgitating my lunch. The door clicked open just as I disappeared around the corner.

I didn't know where I was going; my mind was too focused on the incident at the beach. Everything was replaying in my mind; it seemed like everything was collapsing before my very eyes. When my stamina was screaming its limit, I was forced to stop and my throat was scorched. I badly needed water. I looked around me_. _

Waves stood up time and again trying to devour the endless grains of sand. The strong night winds nipped at my bare skin. Observing the surroundings, it dawned on me that I was standing at the exact same spot where I was waiting for my parents 4 years ago. The wind felt cold against my skin, and I panted heavily with ragged breaths from sprinting. I sat down tiredly on the sand, curling up into a little ball, and stayed there for a long time as moist tears streamed down my face, till I fell asleep.

* * *

My eyes blinked open in the darkness. I checked my phone. It was about 3am in the morning. _'Funny,'_ I thought, _'it's the first time I slept without sleeping pills.'_ Seeing I couldn't and didn't want to fall back asleep, I got up with my bag, and walked to the road side, deciding to head to nowhere in particular. As I walked along the road, my now lucid mind began to quietly register in everything that had happened so far. The tears I had held back for years all finally came out. I was dizzy, and I couldn't see properly thanks to my swollen eyes. I probably looked like a drunkard on the road. I could tell that it was dangerous, so I decided to go back to the safety of the pavement opposite the road.

At that moment my ears picked up some faint music. My head spun around to check for any sign of a car. A red one swarmed about maniacally in the distance. What a nuisance. As the car neared and heavy metal music got louder, my legs picked up the pace, sensing threat.

My head turned again to check for the car. It was still a distance away, so I mustered whatever remaining strength I had to get to the pavement safely. I finally reached the safety of the pavement and continued with my night/early morning stroll. I had no intention of going back to that place anytime soon.

The next thing that happened was very quick. I heard the sound of screeching tires. I turned around to see the car swerving left and right. The driver must have been drunk. I continued walking, but froze in my tracks when I heard the car coming closer. It made a sudden swerve to its right and knocked into the pavement, right where I was. The force knocked all the breath out of me, and my head was spinning even more than before.

Flashing lights everywhere. The car horns rang about in my ear drums. The braking sound of the tires screeched loudly, as though someone were screaming. Everything went blurry, and I could feel pain on my head, ribs, and limbs. There was a faint, metallic smell of blood filling up the area around me. I was dizzy, and the agonizing pain was shooting up quickly. I was panicked, yet strength was leaving me so quickly, there was no way for me to move. Then… everything went dark.

When I came to, I was lying on the floor, and the pain was still there. The disgusting smell of gasoline hit me right smack in the face and I held my breath to stop from breathing in the poisonous gas. I wanted to get away since it was uncomfortable. Miraculously, my legs gained a little bit of strength to barely support my body, and I winced with every shuffle I took.

The stupid driver was in his seat, and his unshaven, sullen face was stuck in a petrified expression. He reeked strongly of alcohol, but his once flushed tomato face was now draining completely of color. A look of pain and fear contorted his face. He was staring at his front, frozen. It must have been from the shock. I limped painfully over to him, and tried waving my hand in front of him to get him to snap out of his trance. He didn't respond. I tried it a few times more in vain, and gave up because it hurt too much to move my hand so vigorously. Finally, I decided to shake him.

I got one hand out to rest on his shoulder but it went right through. "W-what's going on?!" I exclaimed a little too loudly in shock. He didn't make any indication that he'd heard me either. I was probably not thinking, seeing that I just got knocked down by a red mustang. "Yes, Chihiro. This is all a bad dream. Either that or you're a ghost." I laughed nervously at my bad joke. "Not funny." I gritted my teeth and tried again and again, failing repeatedly to touch him.

In my confusion and creeping fear, my head whirled to the side to where he was staring, only to see an unrecognizable, bloody corpse lying motionlessly on the pavement.


	5. The Abyss of Hell

The Lost Spirit: The Abyss of Hell 

I was so confused; everything had gone horribly wrong. Staring at my body covered in blood somehow made me feel mere numbness; I had no idea what to feel or what to think.

The girl before me was drenched in blood and some of her limbs were twisted in all the wrong directions, coupled with some horribly disjointed bones that jutted out gruesomely. To say I was dumbfounded would be the understatement of the century. Was I actually dead?"…Mum… Dad… … Haku… What's going on..?" I asked aloud. My voice came out as an unrecognizable croak.

My mind was a blank, and I was pretty much dazed. Everything was just too surreal; it felt as if I was in a living nightmare.

When I snapped back into reality after who knows how long, somehow, I had been magically teleported to a place surrounded with darkness, and I was quite certain that I hadn't gone unconscious again. "Ogino Chihiro," a loud voice boomed and startled me. I looked up to see a huge, tall and dark figure towering over me. His robe was engulfed in black flames, his slightly messed up hair a mixture of dull colors which made it look like a bush of dead leaves. He was holding up a huge book that was in tatters, probably with thousands of pages in it. He closed the book with a loud 'thump', and with a snap of his fingers, it vanished.

His gaze finally settled on me after a long moment of awkward silence. His cold, bloody red eyes seemed to pierce right into my skin. His lips drew into a nasty smirk, and I could tell from his eyes that he found me vaguely interesting. In a bad way, though. "Welcome, Ogino Chihiro, to the Abyss of Hell," he boomed.

I was taken aback, though trying to stifle a laugh as I heard the name for the first time. _Pfft. What a stupid cliché name. _I still felt like I was in a bad dream with bad jokes, and at first, I didn't believe him, but his dead eyes that bore right through me convinced me that everything was real. I became still, frozen in my position and felt my hands trembling, both from the freezing surroundings and fear. He was finally satisfied that he had my full attention and went on. "I'm Hades. Pleased to meet you, little girl. I wonder how you feel after going through death."

It took a moment for me to regain movement of my tongue. "Chihiro. Can't say I'm as glad as you, and honestly, I don't feel much of a difference at all." I surprised myself with the smoothness and stability of my voice. He laughed sickeningly and I felt on the verge of going deaf, though suppressing the urge to cover my ears. "My, my, what a thick-headed girl you are, Ogino Chihiro. I have to say, you must be very bold to speak with such audacity to the person who governs this place, including you."

Seeing a puzzled look on my face, he cleared his throat in preparation for a quick lecture for me.

"This grand place you see is the Abyss of Hell, where the spirits of humans go to after they die. But, these are the spirits of humans who have been to the spirit world before, whether consciously or not." Bush-head guy then shot me a mysterious look, one that I did not understand. He was obviously hinting at something else, but I still didn't get it, which was making me a little impatient. I waited there blankly for him to continue, but seeing he had no intention of doing so, I was probably expected to get something from there.

Breathing in deeply like I always did when there were some tough Math problems for me to solve, I absorbed that chunk of fun-sized information given to me.

So I was here, because I'd been in the Spirit World before. My mind drifted to Lin, Kamaji, Zeniba, Yubaba, Bo, and Haku. At the thought of that name I flinched. I shook my head and dismissed it instantly. It was kind of clear I was going down the wrong path. Then, what was he hinting at?

"Oh, you know what I'm hinting at, Ogino Chihiro. No hints!" I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at the thick layer of sarcasm in his voice.

Going back to my thinking, I recalled going to the Spirit world for the first time. The people who'd entered other than me… My eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets at the sudden revelation. I caught Hades' eyes gleamed with pleasure at me. Tears slid down my face as I struggled to digest this huge chunk of information that had been directly hurled at me. "Yes… that was surprisingly fast for a girl your age, Ogino Chihiro. You've already realized that your parents' spirits are stuck in this place as well."

I glared at him through my blurred vision. Hot tears slid down my cold cheeks. I imagined myself immediately curling up into a ball and screaming everything that I had held back for the past 4 years. The pain of losing my parents, the pain of realizing no one loved me, the hell that had started on that fateful day at the beach.

All this, I did in my head. But I refused to let him get the upper hand, or my name wouldn't be Ogino Chihiro. Sucking up my tears, I willed them to disappear as I balled my hands into fists.

The horrible, cruel cackle that filled the room agitated me further. My fists clenched and teeth gritted. Losing utter control, I boldly and loudly demanded, "Tell me where my parents are now!" I couldn't care less about whether Hades would choose to punish me or anything for my audacity. I had nothing to lose.

"What makes you think I'm the kind of god who would listen to a request from a girl like you?" Hades smirked at me, annoying me even more. I was too distressed to put up with anymore of his nonsense. I glared at him in the eye further, but he wasn't even taking me seriously. He was simply smiling, a disgusting look of pleasure playing on his face. If he wasn't a god, I would've punched the sickening look out of him. "Well, I would tell you, and even set you and your parents free from this Abyss of Hell to wherever you want to go in the spirit world, but on one condition."

"Shoot then." I had a bad feeling about this, but I couldn't care less. "You see, I feed on the dark energy in the hearts of spirits in this place. It energizes me, and strengthens me."

"By darkness, you mean negative feelings and bad memories and such?" I interrupted.

"Yes, but for the past few centuries, these pathetic spirits here can only provide me barely enough to stay in control of Hell and keep other demons from overthrowing me. On the contrary, you, Ogino Chihiro, have an extensive amount of power in your heart, which can give me the full strength of a god."

"What do you need that power for?" I was getting slightly impatient.

"That is none of your business. I have my plans and you have no need to know. So basically, my condition is that you feed me with all the dark energy you can provide me, and once I gain full power, I will release you and your parents to wherever you want to go to in the spirit world." I thought about it for a while. It seemed so easy, it was too suspicious.

"What's the catch, Hades?" I narrowed my eyes at him.

He broke into a delightful grin, like he'd just gotten to the best part of the course. "Hmm, nothing much, except that you'll forget about _everything_."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It means what it means. You'll forget about everything in your life, including who you are, and the people whom you love the most, like your parents." He was practically smirking and laughing heartily as if everything was a joke to him. I was clenching my fists so hard, my nails dug into my flesh so deeply that blood trickled down my fingers.

"So, is it a deal or not, Ogino Chihiro?"

* * *

[Haku's P.O.V]

"Hurry up and get it done even if today's your last day!" Yubaba yelled as I walked out. How annoying.I was supposed to return some ancient book of spells to Zeniba for Yubaba, something which she had forgotten about for 80 years till Zeniba recently reminded well, at least it was the day I would be finally free from Yubaba.

Yubaba had forced me to stay and work for another 4 years as compensation for the 'financial losses' she would incur from having one less employee. All these years, I hadn't been able to look for Chihiro, but finally, finally it was my last working day! My face softened at the thought of Chihiro's cute smile seeing me after 4 years. I had longed to see her, and just imagining how beautiful she must have grown to be wasn't enough to satisfy me.

"Who're you thinking of, huh?" Lin broke my chain of thoughts with her loud voice.

"Nobody, Lin. Don't you have work to do?" I retorted smoothly out of habit.

"I'm just sneaking a little break. So where're you going this time?"

"Going to Zeniba's to return this." I held out the heavy and thick book of spells. It was worn and tattered, and weighed at least 10 kilograms, and I could tell Lin was pretty much disgusted by the book from the look on her face. "Ahh well, today's your last day, so good luck. The old hag's gonna throw as many hissy fits as possible today to find excuses to make you stay longer."

"Thanks." I nodded at Lin, and walked off. Changing into my dragon form, it heightened my awareness and senses. I could see far into the horizon, and could hear little crickets chirping in the distance. I flew off, feeling the cool breeze of the wind with my tail holding on to the book. Well, I was pretty bored and wanted to get Chihiro off my mind; I was going crazy with the excitement and the last thing I wanted was to delay my trip and get it from Yubaba.

Soon, Zeniba's little cottage came into view. I landed in front of the door, and No Face opened the door just in time. He smiled as a greeting and after changing back into human form, I bowed in response. "Well, come on in, Haku," an urgent voice came.

I entered the cozy place, placing the book on the small table in front of Zeniba. She was seated facing me with 2 cups of green tea on the table, one which she was sipping and the other I supposed was for me. I took a seat and Zeniba peered at me through her glasses with grave eyes.

"What happened?" I asked straightforwardly. Whenever Zeniba was serious, it meant disaster had struck. She let out a deep sigh, and her eyes were pretty distant. "It's about Chihiro." I swallowed thickly, already a bad feeling churning my insides uncomfortably.

"What… about her..?" Zeniba looked at me and sighed again, which made me ever slightly more impatient and anxious.

"Well… Chihiro's… dead."

_Dead. _The word echoed over and over in my mind. _So… she's… dead..? _I was stunned, and for a moment, I thought I blanked out, and when I saw No Face by my side nudging me, I looked down and realized I had thrown my cup of green tea on the floor and kicked over the chair. Zeniba was concerned about me, and she nodded at No Face to clean up the mess I'd made. I realized my teeth were still gritted tightly and fists clenched so tightly, my knuckles were pure white.

Zeniba was sitting down calmly. "Haku, I know how you feel right now. But, you have to calm down if you want to help Chihiro and see her again. Now sit down, and listen to me before going crazy." I chose to stand, but took deep breaths to try calming myself down. My hand raked through my hair, roughing it up a little. Zeniba took off her glasses and placed them gently on the table. "You do know that the spirits of humans who've been to the human world go to the Abyss of Hell after death right?" I nodded, my face still hard.

"So I'll go there and get her back?" I managed to get the words out.

"Yes, but I think Hades has something up his sleeve, and I'm sure it's not good." Zeniba continued. I growled in response, still very agitated. "Thanks Zeniba. I'll be off then." I bowed and apologized for the trouble I had caused before heading out. In a flash, my dragon was up in the air, flying at top speed to vent my frustrations.

Chihiro went through my mind repeatedly, and I couldn't help but think about the horrible things that she could have been going through at the moment. I was angry for being useless and not being there for her when she needed me. The guilt was clouding my mind, especially when I recalled her saying my name, which had freed me from Yubaba.

When I arrived in the bathhouse, I was still in a horrible mood and ignored the other workers who were all rushing to tell me that Yubaba was looking for me. I went up to Yubaba's office. "Back here, again huh? She's in a bad mood, Master Haku." The door knob snickered. Seeing me in an equally, if not worse mood made it open the door quickly though.

I strolled into Yubaba's office, and her voice was booming throughout the corridors. She was calling for me, and by the sound of it, she was furious. When I got into her office, her office was a complete mess; papers were strewn everywhere and her hair looked like a bunch of octopus tentacles sticking out everywhere instead of its usual bun. She glared at me, demanding loudly," Where have you been?! I told you to hurry up and get back here!"

"I'm done with my task. According to the contract, I get to leave right now." I stated. I was in no mood to argue with her. From the moment Zeniba told me about Chihiro, I knew that every second would count from then on. Every second wasted on Yubaba would be every second Chihiro was nearing danger. "You've done such a shoddy job and you want to leave?! You'll have to stay and work for at least another year for further compensation, dragon!"

My eyes flashed at her. Instantly I was right in her face, a threatening look in my eyes. "I'm in no mood to play with you, nor do I have the time. I'm leaving and I simply came here to inform you, nothing else." With that, I left Yubaba gaping in shock at my unusual outburst of such fury.

I stalked out the bathhouse, ignoring the other employees who were speaking in muffled whispers. Lin then appeared out of nowhere. "Congrats, dragon! You're finally free. Go find Sen, won't you?"

I gave her a grim nod, and she knew instantly that there was something wrong. Well, it would be hard not to notice; if she didn't, she was either drunk or stupid.

"Is something wrong, Haku?" she asked.

"I'll explain everything at another time, but now I'm in a rush. So if you'll excuse me," I excused myself stiffly and left.

I walked towards the bridge where I had first met Chihiro. How frightened she must be, just like she was then. But, hopefully she had the same courage that she possessed 4 years ago. I could already visualize the fear contorting her face in the Abyss of Hell which made me shake with anger and frustration.

At the quickest speed my dragon could go, I left for that place.

'_Don't worry Chihiro, I'm coming. Hang in there and wait for me. I'll be with you soon. I promise,' _I thought to myself solemnly.


	6. Choices

The Lost Spirit: Choices

"So, is it a deal or not, Ogino Chihiro?" Hades asked.

What should I do? For one thing, I couldn't bear forgetting about my parents who had loved me so much and all the happy memories we had shared, and about my memories in the spirit world. I didn't want to forget Kamaji, Granny, Lin, Bo, and… Haku… '_Stop dreaming, Chihiro! He's long forgotten about you! He didn't come when your parents died, and he won't come this time either!_' a voice screamed furiously into my head, causing me to wince a little.

I folded my arms in deep thought, and I frowned for the umpteenth time. I wanted to save my parents, but if I did, I wouldn't have any memory of them and it would be the same as the past 4 years: Separated from my parents. Although, I wouldn't remember them anyway, so I wouldn't be able to feel any pain. I guess the only thing that I could stand to gain from my current plight was forgetting all the bad things that had happened so far.

"I see you require more time to think about it. I'll give you three da-" I interrupted Hades quickly. "There's no need to waste everyone's time. I'll do it, but on one condition. You let me see my parents for the last time before I forget everything." Hades smirked, but relented, seeing my stubbornness. "Very well, then."

He blew some smoke through his fingers and a huge flame formed in front of me. The silhouettes of a woman and a man slowly became larger and larger as they walked towards me out of the flame. My parents walked out, well and alive! Okay, maybe not _alive,_ but the gist was there. They looked confused and scared for a moment, but upon laying their eyes on me, their faces lit up with unspeakable joy and for a moment didn't move, tears spilling over. They ran towards me with their arms wide open. I realized I'd been gaping and put my hands up to cover my mouth. Tears filled my eyes as I was pulled into the warm embrace that I had been yearning for the past 4 years.

"Ch-Chihiro! How did you end up here? Oh, my baby..!" Mum sobbed in my hair. Dad was hugging me tightly and I was crying too. I had waited too long for this moment, and I would have to be separated from them in a matter of minutes. Dad was tearing and he stroked my hair gently. "Chihiro, I've missed you… I'm sorry for what happened sweetheart…" Dad was also torn with overwhelming emotions. I hugged them back tightly, not wanting to ever let go. I looked at them, taking in their appearance. They were both much thinner than they had been 4 years ago. Dad was unshaven and Mum's hair was in a mess. The black rims under their eyes showed a great lack of sleep, and their clothes were both filled with dirt that looked and smelled like soot and ash. They were still wearing the clothes they wore from our last beach outing, I realized sadly.

"Wait; tell me how you… ended up here, Chihiro." Mom demanded. I dried my tears and managed a weak reply after I finally stopped sniffling. "I was… killed in a car accident." Their eyes opened wide with immense shock, and she started sobbing again. "Oh baby, you've been through a lot. At least we're finally together now." she whispered.

Inside, I begged not to say anymore. It was making life harder for me. "Mom… Dad… Hades is going to send you to Zeniba's cottage, and I want you to tell Zeniba that I'm your daughter. Tell her I'll come and look for her soon and ask her to let you stay with her for the time being on my behalf… okay..?" Saying this was much harder than I'd thought. "Who's Zeniba?" Dad asked. "Umm… Just this granny I know around here; I'll tell you more later." Hades then decided to be a kid and annoyingly interrupted with a loud and rude "AHEM!" to get our attention.

"Ogino Akio and Ogino Yuko, based on a deal I made with your _beloved_ daughter, I will send you to Zeniba's cottage. Now, step into this portal and it'll send you there." Hades muttered a few foreign words and with a snap of his fingers, a dark hole with a bright rim formed in front of us. It looked like a black hole that was ready to suck them in. Mum and Dad were pretty hesitant about it, and Dad who bit his lip was the first to boldly ask, "What deal did she make with you?!" Hades broke into an evil grin, and snarled, "Why don't you ask her yourself?"

'_Damn you, Hades,' _I cursed and glared at him to his pleasure. I looked up meekly at my parents' intimidating glare. "Umm… I… I basically told Hades to free all of us, but I would have to stay and let him… uh… how do I put it in a non-corny way? He's just going to suck some dark energy thing from me and then I'm free to go!" I blurted out. Dad raised his eyebrows, prompting me to say more. Dang… he always knew when I was hiding something… They used to say it was because when I did that, my left eyebrow would twitch.

"Umm… the catch is that I won't remember anything, but I promise to come back soon! He'll free me after he's done with me!"

"Hades, I refuse to let my daughter take on such an agreement." Mom said indignantly. "Mom! I swear there's nothing wrong with this deal! We get to be freed and there's no harm in it!" I pleaded. Hades snickered. "What a show. I'll let you talk it out, so tell me what your final decision is."

Ugh. He really was such a scumbag. Probably had 'moron' written all over his face in invisible ink. Or if he didn't have, I would gladly offer my gracious assistance."Hades, the deal is on. I'm doing this since I caused my parents' deaths. I was the cause of everything. So, this decision is solely mine. Hades, please send them to Zeniba's cottage now." I was insistent with my decision and would not be swayed by my parents. It was for the best.

"Our deaths are not your fault!" Dad shouted. Mum was gripping me tightly by the shoulders now. "Let go! No matter what you say, it's still my fault and it's a fact! What I'm doing now is for your own good! Now go into the portal and tell Zeniba that I'm your daughter and ask her to let you stay with her!" I cried out and with all my strength, pushed them into the portal before they could retort and say any more. I covered my ears so that I wouldn't hear them screaming my name.

Hades' applaud boomed loudly in my ears, and he laughed so loudly the place shook slightly. "So, Ogino Chihiro, where do you want me to bring you after I take everything away from you?"

"… Just… give me some time to think about it…" I said. I was completely out of energy after everything that had happened. "Fine." Hades snapped his fingers, and the darkness quickly turned into a room that looked like a bedroom in a haunted house. The room was filled with cobwebs, and the bed was dusty. I was completely irked by the room. "You'll be staying here till I release you," Hades said, and with that, he vanished, leaving me all alone, just as I'd always been for the past 4 years. I quietly went up to the bed, and after using the pillow to hit the sheets a few times to get some dust off, I decided it was decently clean, and collapsed onto the bed, falling into a deep sleep.

* * *

[Haku's P.O.V]

'_This is going to take longer than I thought,' _I grumbled to myself_. _Hell was right at the bottom of the Spirit World deep beneath the ground, but the Abyss of Hell was at the edge of the Spirit World. The Abyss of Hell was another dimension, and only dark magic could work there. Thankfully, I knew some dark spells from Yubaba when I was her apprentice. Travelling to the Abyss of Hell would take at least a week even for a dragon flying at top speed. Maybe I should have taken the train to save my energy, though the journey would have taken days longer.

The Abyss of Hell was off boundaries to all spirits, and any spirit who dared to trespass would be killed by the 3 Caneito Demons who guarded the only portal to the Abyss of Hell. The 3 Caneito Demons were powerful demons, and they were Hades' loyal minions. I recalled reading that due to some ancient grudges between humans and spirits, the Abyss of Hell had been created by Hades to punish the spirits of humans who had been to the spirit world before. Humans were basically considered a threat in the spirit world and were hence banished to the Abyss of Hell, a place where torture was at least 30 times worse than in Hell. Spirits were not allowed to trespass to prevent anyone from attempting to help the human spirits to escape, which was precisely what I was planning to do.

How would I get past the Caneito Demons and rescue Chihiro? It'd been 2 days after leaving the bathhouse and I was feeling more and more fatigued by the minute. Plus my resting time, it would take around 10 days to reach the Abyss of Hell! Annoyed with myself, I let out a deep growl, effectively scaring the nearby birds, sending them scattering off towards the horizon in the golden-pinkish sky.

I took some time to reminisce about Chihiro riding on my back when she was 10, how she'd remembered my name and freed me from Yubaba, her courage to face her fears in the spirit world, her bright smile… Unknowingly, it was soon dark in the sky and I knew I had to rest. I scanned the area and found a little forest below. I made my way there, and amidst the chirping of birds and hooting of owls, I curled up under the extended and motherly branches of an oak tree. The bed of grass was so soft, the minute I closed my eyes, I drifted off into a world where it was just Chihiro and I alone.

* * *

[Ogino Akio's P.O.V]

"Ahh! Chihiro!" I shouted at the top of my lungs as she pushed both Yuko and I down the black hole. Seconds later, I found myself flat on the face on the ground. Yuko was right beside me and both of us scrambled to our feet. Yuko's eyes were still swollen from crying, and now both of us were even more heartbroken; Chihiro had been blaming herself all this time… I refused to let my tears come out. I hugged Yuko tightly, silently assuring her. It was late at night, and the round moon shone brightly in the night sky. I looked around, and not far from us was a little cottage.

Recalling what Chihiro had said, I patted Yuko's shoulder, and both of us walked towards the cottage cautiously. I smoothed out my hair to ensure I was presentable, and so did Yuko. I knocked on the door gently, not wanting to wake the owner up at this time of night. Moments later, the door opened. Yuko and I bowed low as a greeting. "Umm… Is this… Zeniba's cottage…?" I looked up, only to see some ghost like figure with a mask for a face staring at me.

My eyes widened considerably and Yuko's face was pretty much pale. I jumped up at the ghostly figure in shock. "A-are… y-you Z-Z-Zeniba…?" I was annoyed for stuttering that much. '_Man up, Akio!_' I scolded.

The ghostly figure merely muttered an "Uh!" and turned around, leaving us at the door. Thinking we were being unwelcomed, we turned to leave, but stopped at the voice of an elderly woman. "Oh, who is it?"

I relaxed a little at the sound of her voice, having more trust in Chihiro's last words before she pushed us… I clenched my fists at her actions. She'd never disobeyed us like that before. "Ahh, may I help you?" An old lady appeared by the door facing us. She had a huge figure, the size of her head shocking me. Her silvery gray hair was combed and tied up in a huge bun and the number of wrinkles on her face was astonishing. I couldn't help but wonder how old she was. Her prominent nose stuck out at us and she wore many jeweled rings on her fingers and golden earrings. She coughed a little, bringing me back to my senses as she removed her spectacles.

"A-Ahh… yes… umm…" I stuttered, unable to remember anything that Chihiro had said all of a sudden. "You must be Zeniba?" Yuko stepped in and asked firmly.

"Yes, and you must be Chihiro's parents," Zeniba chuckled warmly. My jaw dropped slightly. How did she know?

"Heh… It was just a smart guess," Zeniba replied, reading the expression on my face. I closed my mouth and cleared my throat.

"Ahh yes, umm, Zeniba-san, Chihiro told us to request that we be able to stay with you temporarily… But if it's too inconvenient then…" It was awkward asking a stranger to let my wife and I stay over for a while.

"Of course, anything for my dear Chihiro and her parents. You must be tired, no? Come on in, I'll fix something up for you to eat and you can fill me in on Chihiro's current situation as I can see that she isn't here with you now…" Zeniba gestured us kindly into her beautiful cottage.

There was a large dining table and a sewing machine with an unfinished piece of work. The cottage was warmly lit and the ghost from before was bringing us to sit down at the dining table with a bright smile on his face/mask. He then brought a tray with 2 cups of green tea and set them in front of us. "Thank you," Yuko and I breathed in gratitude. Zeniba set brought out some freshly made cookies, biscuits and even some small cakes. "They just got out of the oven, and eat as much as you want; you must be starving." Zeniba smiled warmly at us before taking a seat opposite us before the ghost sat down next to her, handing her a cup of green tea and sipping some from his cup.

"So… tell me whatever's happened and how Chihiro is now," she said in a more serious tone.

* * *

[Chihiro's P.O.V]

I wished that I would never wake up to escape from this living nightmare. Being separated from my parents just when we were reunited, stuck in this haunted house, not able to see Haku or my friends again, or if I did, I wouldn't remember. I woke up and the pungent smell of the room was the first thing I sensed. The room was horribly dirty and I walked over to the full-length mirror just beside the dresser. My unkempt hair surprised me and I smoothed it out a little, and I sat back on the bed, thinking about what I should do.

Maybe I should go to the bathhouse? Haku would be my best chance of remembering my past, but if he'd long forgotten me… But I wouldn't be ready to go to Zeniba's with amnesia! My parents would totally freak out and try as hard as they can to make me remember. I couldn't bear to place that burden on them. The bathhouse was ultimately my best choice I supposed… Hopefully my friends still remembered me… I untied my hair and gripped the purple hair tie tightly. Cupping it in my hands, I interlaced my fingers together, praying hard that everything would be alright.

Immediately after that quiet moment I had to myself though, the room spun around and then everything was engulfed into the darkness. Hades appeared in front of me. "So, have you made your decision, Ogino Chihiro?" I glowered at him for being such an impatient person despite his irresponsible nature and contemplated for the last time before answering calmly, "Take me to Yubaba's bathhouse after releasing me." I then glanced at my hair tied for the last time, kissed it lightly and tied my hair back into its usual, simple ponytail.

With a wave of Hades' hand, a swarm of bats flew out from behind him, and they were landing on my body, opening up their fangs and biting deep into my skin, though I felt nothing. They stuck on me, and covered my vision. Slowly, I felt myself slipping into the darkness for the last time.

* * *

A/N: Yes! Finally done with this! I'm so happy now ^^ Hi guys! I'll be finishing up with exams on 10th October so I'll most probably be able to update this fan fiction quicker! Yay~~ Feel free to review this story and I would love to hear your opinions on this so far! (: God bless! :3


	7. Unwavering Hopes

The Lost Spirit: Unwavering Hopes

A/N: This has yet to be updated… Sorry I'm gonna update it soon! For now, I guess you'll have to put up with the bad writing… :\ Thanks for reading though! (: God bless!

* * *

[Ogino Akio's P.O.V]

After explaining everything to Zeniba, I felt much more exhausted than ever and my heart was completely broken. I fought the urge to hit something to vent my frustrations, seeing it was a kind elderly lady's house we were putting up at. Yuko was sobbing again and Zeniba was patting her back, muttering some words to comfort her. No-Face, whom Zeniba had introduced earlier, looked very sad and he was now facing the windows, glancing out sadly, probably worrying about my little girl. Zeniba remained composed, though anyone could tell that the number of wrinkles on her face had increased.

"Don't worry, Akio-san and Yuko-san, Haku is on the way to rescue Chihiro," Zeniba said. I paced back and forth the room, not sure if this Haku guy was able to save Chihiro considering that Hades was a god. However, he was my only hope and I could only trust him to save Chihiro and hope that both of them would return safely, with Chihiro alright and well. "Both of you must be tired; come, I'll show you to the guest room and you two can get some rest after washing up." Zeniba beckoned for us to follow her and she opened a door leading to a pretty and comfy room that felt homey. Both of us quietly thanked her, and I fell on the bed, exhausted from everything. Yuko lay beside me and I hugged her tightly and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry, she'll be safe."

'_I hope.'_ Hope was all we had left.

* * *

[Haku's P.O.V]

I woke up to the loud drumming sounds of the pouring rain. My fur was getting soaked, though thanks to the large oak tree, I wasn't too badly affected. I quickly flew up, using the stronger winds in the weather to help me travel faster. I flew as fast as possible. Thankfully, before flying off I grabbed some food off nearby fruit trees so I could regain some of my energy. I couldn't help but worry about Chihiro's current predicament, causing me to accidentally choke on some of the seeds of the fruit. Hopefully she was still hanging in there.

* * *

Finally! I put on an extra burst of speed as I saw the 3 Caneito Demons come into sight, guarding the entrance to the Abyss of Hell. I stopped in front of them, putting my head down as a form of respect. "Who are you and what business do you have here?" The voice of the 1st Caneito Demon boomed loudly. I changed back into my human form, floating in the air. "My name is Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi. I'm here to speak to Hades regarding the fate of one of the human spirits in the Abyss of Hell."

The demons smirked. "Who is the human spirit you are looking for?" he asked. "Ogino Chihiro." I answered. They snickered and the demon answered cynically, "Master will be done with her soon. You can have her and bring her back to the bathhouse as she has requested Master to do so after releasing her." My teeth gritted tightly. "What is he doing to her?!" My voice had raised a few decibels. The 1st demon apparently intended to mock me further, but the 3rd and biggest Caneito Demon stopped him. "I'm not interested in wasting more time with this," and pointed at me, continuing, "Ogino Chihiro agreed to let Master feed on the 'darkness' in her heart in return for releasing her parents and then her."

"When did she agree to this?" I spat out. "10 days ago, and her parents were sent to some Zenibi's cottage." Crap, I'm too late… "She won't remember anything after Hades is done with her, won't she?" I managed forcibly through my gritted teeth. It was getting harder and harder to control myself. The cynical grin the demons had plastered on their face answered my question. I took a few deep breaths, and demanded loudly, "Let me speak to Hades."

They were instantly on alert, and had a threatening look in their eyes. "Spirits are not allowed in there. Leave now, or you'll face harsh consequences." I wasn't going to give in just yet, and I changed into my dragon form, completely losing my senses. I snarled at them and let out an intimidating deep growl. They hissed back in response. Just as we were about to attack each other full-on, the most powerful demon was sucked into the portal. The other 2 looked confused for a moment, but that expression was wiped off as fast as it appeared and we glared at each other until the demon came back. "Go. Master wants you there." He said, roughly pushing the 2 demons away from the entrance. Without hesitation, I flew in, transporting me into a place filled with darkness.

I looked around, and saw Hades a distance away, sitting on his 'throne'. I changed into human form, taking slow, steady steps towards him. My pulse quickened in anxiety, and uncertainty was building up in my mind. A frown slowly formed on my face, and I was clenching my fists tightly. _Chihiro, nothing can happen to you. Hang in there._ As I neared him, I noticed he was in a state of meditation with his pupils gone from his bloodshot eyes, leaving only a white ball with some red streaks in his eye sockets. His mouth was open, a trail of dark, fog flowing into it.

The dark fog screamed softly of hurts and darkness it contained, and I could feel its power strongly. I followed the trail of fog, leading my eyes to rest on a figure whose body was covered with bats sucking and releasing the dark fog from her. I froze instantly, my body and emotions losing all capability to function; I already knew who it was.

* * *

[Chihiro's P.O.V]

It was as if everything was being sucked out of me. My life, my memories, my emotions, my strength, they were all leaving. I was unconscious, but I could still feel the bats sucking out everything that I was. It was painless, and scary, though the fear was soon leaving me… I was unconscious, but I could still feel the length of time that the process took. The only thing that hurt was my head and my heart, maybe, because some… important things were being taken from me..?

* * *

My vision was being blocked by something. I could feel something subconsciously; what was going on..? I felt insecure, and could tell something was sucking something out of me. I was confused, but no matter how much I tried, I couldn't wake up. Not long after, the things that were covering my eyes and my body left me. I felt woozy and giddy. My head hurt really badly… I was moaning and clutching my head tightly. Oddly though, I did not have any injuries. I looked up just in time to see the things that were on me. They were flying away and they had sharp fangs hanging out of their tiny mouths. I covered my mouth to stifle a scream in shock.

Fear took over me and I was trembling. I looked up to see some weird person sitting on a… throne..? He was meditating and he opened his eyes slowly to look at me. I moved backwards warily; his gleaming red eyes looked as if he were eyeing me as his prey. "Ogino Chihiro," his voice boomed. I jumped up, taken aback. _Who was he talking to?_ "That is your name, little girl." He continued, pointing at me. _I'm… Ogino… Chihiro..? What's going on..? I don't remember… anything…_

"Chihiro!" Another voice shouted. I whirled my head around, effectively causing myself to stumble from the giddiness, and falling on my butt. A boy came into view; he had pale skin in large contrast to the darkness that stretched everywhere, his green shoulder-length hair in a little mess. His eyes were a dark emerald green and his eyebrows were furrowed in a deeply anxious expression. His eyes were glued on to me, and as soon as we made eye contact, I looked away immediately, aware of the nervousness I was feeling. My pulse was quickening, though it wasn't really out of fear…

He was squatting next to me, one arm around my shoulder, and his face was just inches away from mine. "Are you alright?!" His grip on my shoulders was tightening, and his bewildered expression scared me a little. I fumbled away from his grasp, backing away and standing up on my own. He stood up, a hurt expression in his eyes. The unspeakable hurt in his eyes made me want to go over to comfort him, though I didn't know him… or did… I..?

"I'm done with her. You may take her and leave." The weird man who towered over me said. The boy faced him, his fists tightly clenched. "What're you planning, Hades?!" His voice was raising a few decibels with every word he spat out. "You'll know soon…" Hades concluded with an evil cackle, sending shivers up my spine. With a wave of his hand, both the boy and I were in some other place.

The place was bustling with many odd-shaping creatures, and my legs were trembling so hard, I had trouble standing up. I was on a bridge with red railings and at the end of the bridge, there were some creatures welcoming others in. By looking at the building and listening to the greetings of the workers, I guessed I was at a bathhouse. _Why am I at a bathhouse?_ The boy from before was standing in front of me with his hands on my shoulders, shaking me lightly. I jumped in surprise and tried again to back away, though his grip on me was like iron. "I'm not going to hurt you, Chihiro. Now stand up and follow me."

His voice sounded somewhat familiar, and though nothing came back to me, I obeyed, and warily stood up, getting his hands off my shoulders. It was a little awkward, what with the sudden contact with a stranger. "W-What's… going…on..?" I asked softly. His sad green eyes found mine, and he looked like he had a million things to say, but he merely took my hand in his and led me to the entrance of the bathhouse. "Don't be afraid; they won't hurt you." He said gently. I nodded slightly and followed him. We were walking slowly to accommodate my shaky legs.

"Welcome, welcome! Oh, hello, Master Haku!" The workers at the entrance greeted the boy beside me. His face was hard and remained silent, though nodding his head to acknowledge the other workers. _So… his name is Haku…_ I was hiding behind his back to avoid the other creatures. Some of the workers had their eyes locked on me, looking as if trying to remember something. I looked at Haku whose face remained as hard as ever. He led me to a garden outside where it was much quieter. I was trying to think about what was going on, when I realized that Haku was nudging me. "Hmm..?" I looked up to see his concerned face. "Are you okay..? You seem really out of it." I shook my head, looking down. He was bringing me to a long flight of stairs. The stairs were really scary, with no railings whatsoever. Furthermore, we were a great height above the ground.

"Come on, don't be afraid. I'm here. I'll protect you." He lifted me gently down to the first step and then, led me slowly to the next, and the next. This went on for quite a while as the flight of stairs was really long. I clutched tightly onto Haku's white hakama, afraid to let go of him. Somehow, he made me feel secure, and I somehow felt that I could trust him. He smiled at me reassuringly, and squeezed my hand tightly as he led me down slowly. His smile brightened up his face, and he was so handsome, I couldn't help blushing. I looked down a little to hide my face, but as I did so, the height scared me; I instinctively clutched his arm tightly. It was warm against my cold fingers.

Finally, we were at the end of the stairs and he opened a door into a boiler room… Wait… h_ow did I know this is a boiler room..?_ I saw black soot balls running back and forth carrying pieces of charcoal. They were throwing the charcoal into a huge fireplace of some sort, and an old man with spider-like long legs/arms was busy working. He used one leg/arm to turn a wheel and another to take some stuff out of the many drawers behind him. His arms stretched so far, I was shocked. He used another to quickly get the kettle near him and took a big gulp of water I supposed, and continued working.

I meekly followed Haku into the boiler room, afraid of the old man (sort of). I was firmly holding his arm, not wanting to let go. At the sight of me, the black soot balls dropped all their charcoal pieces and rushed towards me. The soot balls were squeaking cutely and were very excited to see me for some reason. The light clinking of the rocks drew the attention of the old man. "Hurry up and get working, you lazy soot balls!" He turned around and he looked from the soot balls crowding around me to Haku and me. I hid behind Haku's back, hoping that the old man wouldn't attack me. "Is… that… really…" the old man sounded like he was at a loss for words.

"Yes, it is." Haku's voice was strained. He turned around, gently nudging me to stand beside him. I gripped his arm tightly, still afraid. "Chihiro… don't be scared. This is Kamaji, the boiler man. He's not a bad guy and he won't hurt you." Haku was stroking my head, comforting me, and I lifted my head slightly to look at Kamaji. "U-um… I-It's n-nice to m-m-meet you… K-Kamaji…" I said through my chattering teeth.

Kamaji looked pretty concerned and confused, though I didn't know why. "Hey, it's meal time!" A long haired woman crawled through a little passage, holding a little basket thing in her hand. In an instant, the soot balls were all running towards her, and she was throwing colored, star-shaped biscuits to them which were busy catching them. She took out a bowl for Kamaji and handed it to him, who took it. "What's wrong, Kamaji? Just now you were nagging for me to hurry up and now you're not even eating?" She asked, though I couldn't tell if she was teasing or just plain annoyed. I guess it was both.

She was about to pick up the basket and leave when she saw Haku. "Hey Ha-" she dropped the basket and her mouth hanged open. "Se- I mean, Chihiro! You're back! You didn't even say hi!" She was grinning widely and coming towards me. She was getting all teary and she pulled me into a literally breathtaking bear hug. I was gasping for air though she didn't seem to notice. "I can't believe you're back! I've missed you _so_ much!" she cried. I was surprised. She must have gotten the wrong I was getting uncomfortable, Haku patted her, hinting for her to let go. "Go away, dragon. Chihiro and I are just catching up and you have to interrupt? You'll get your time later bud." She said teasingly.

I was trying to get her off of me. She finally let go when she felt me struggling to pull away, and I hid behind Haku again, not daring to look at her, though I caught a little glimpse of her bewildered expression. "Chihiro, what's wrong?" She asked in a genuinely concerned voice. "I'll explain it to you later Lin, but please don't say anything about this for a while. I don't want Yubaba making a big thing out of this. Chihiro has enough to deal with currently." Haku said. "She'll be safe with me in the boiler room." Kamaji said while munching, his mouth full of food.

Haku turned to me, saying, "I'll be leaving for a while, but I'll be back soon, okay? Kamaji will keep you company and safe. I need to explain some things to Lin first." I frowned, clutching his arm tightly, saying softly, "No… don't leave me… I'm scared…" He gently took my hands off his arm, holding me by the shoulders. "You have to do this if you want me to help you. Kamaji loves you like his own granddaughter. You can trust him. The soot balls here will take good care of you too. I'll be back soon, I promise." Then, with a last smile in my direction, he turned and a confused Lin followed him out of the boiler room.

I took a seat on the raised platform, quietly observing the happy little soot balls. They even offered me a little biscuit. "No thanks, you can have it." I smiled a little at them. "Okay, back to work! Chihiro, make yourself at home and don't worry. Haku will be back soon." Kamaji said kindly, soothing my nerves a little. I managed a weak "thanks" before curling up on the floor in a fetal position. My eyelids were droopy, and I let them close.

My ponytail was making it hard to sleep, so I untied my hair. I straightened out my hair, realizing that I was holding a beautiful, sparkly purple hair tie in my hand. _What's this?_ Somehow, I sensed it had a special sentimental value. I held it tightly, and drifted off into a peaceful slumber, wishing upon it that everything would be fine when I woke up…


	8. Chapter 8

The Lost Spirit: Chapter 8

[Haku's Story]

I tried taking further steps towards her, but some sort of force was stopping me from taking another step. My eyes were widening and my nails drew deeper into my skin to control myself with whatever self-control I had left.

The nightmarish screams that came from the dark fog shocked me momentarily. _What has she gone through to have that much dark power stored within her?_ While trying to figure that part out, the bats, one by one, left her body, leaving her body suspended slightly in mid-air before being set carefully down on the ground. The last trail of the fog entered Hades' mouth and he was closing his eyes, and I could tell he was meditating further to expend the newly gained power into his body.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't even realize Chihiro was already coming to, moaning and clutching her head in pain. My heart pained at the sight of her hurting. I felt the force fading away, allowing me to run over to Chihiro's side. She finally opened her eyes and her hand was covering her mouth. Though it was soft, I could still hear the terror in her small scream as it escaped her lips. She was trying to move away from Hades as he opened his eyes, looking at her. _Crap. _By the look of his bright crimson eyes, he'd probably regained full power ever since he was banished to Hell by the 3 gods in the realms of heaven, the spirits who governed over the spirit world.

"Ogino Chihiro," Hades' loud voice broke my train of thoughts. He continued, pointing at her. "That is your name, little girl." Chihiro had a bewildered expression on her face, and as soon as I felt that force that was stopping me from advancing towards her fade away, I ran to her at top speed. "Chihiro!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. She stumbled over and fell in apparent shock. I quickly squatted next to her, putting my arm around her shoulder to hold her steady. She looked away quickly, which made me worry. "Are you alright?!" She flinched at the volume of my voice, and I seemed to have scared her. She quickly brushed my arm aside, moving further away from me.

_She's afraid of me… _"I'm done with her. You may take her and leave." Hades' voice had a new power that I had never heard before. I turned towards him, my anger slowly being released uncontrollably. "What are you planning, Hades?!" I could hear my voice raise a few decibels with each word I purposefully spat out. Hades simply looked amused which infuriated me further. "You'll know soon…" He cackled and with a wave of his hand, he sent both Chihiro and I out of the Abyss of Hell.

"Welcome! Welcome!" I momentarily froze in shock at the accursed place we were at. _Why are we at the bathhouse?! _I looked beside me, and Chihiro was sitting up, staring at the bathhouse in wonder and in fear at the other spirits. She was shaking violently; I hurriedly got up and called her name. She did not respond even after calling her 5 times. I stood in front of her, though she didn't seem to notice. It was only when I bent down and started shaking her shoulders lightly that she snapped back into reality. Confusion was evident on her beautiful face, and she tried to back away again, though I refused to release my grip on her. I swallowed a lump in my throat before saying, "I'm not going to hurt you, Chihiro. Now stand up and follow me."

Surprisingly, she obeyed me quietly, though she still brushed my arms off her shoulders when she got up. "W-What's… going… on..?" Her angelic voice hit me. I had missed her voice all these years, I had to use all my mental strength to stop myself from hugging her and holding her close to me, telling her that everything would be alright. Our eyes locked for a few seconds, and the confusion and fear in her eyes reminded me of the 10-year-old I had met here 4 years ago. I said nothing and simply took her little hand delicately and led her to the bathhouse. "Don't be afraid; they won't hurt you." It was easy to tell that she was afraid of the other spirits. I walked slower to accommodate her shaky legs.

"Welcome! Welcome! Oh, hello, Master Haku!" My expression hardened as I resumed 'Master Haku' mode and simply nodded at the other workers who greeted me. I could feel their eyes on us, specifically, Chihiro. I led her to the garden outside where we had hidden before in order to keep her hidden from the other workers. I was reminiscing and going back 4 years, but I managed to keep half my focus on the path we were going. I brought her to the stairs that led to the boiler room. Chihiro was standing beside me with a faraway gaze in her eyes. I nudged her gently till I got her attention. "Hmm..?"

"Are you okay..? You seem really out of it." I asked in concern. She shook her head and looked down at the stairs. Being a person who is easily frightened, she backed away slightly. "Come on, don't be afraid. I'm here. I'll protect you." I said reassuringly. I took the first step and then lifted her gently down to the first step. I guided her down, feeling her sweaty palms. Soon, she was clutching my hakama tightly. I smiled at her, chuckling internally at how cute she was and also to soothe her nerves. Our eyes met, and she looked down again, though I could still see the unmistakable blush in her cheeks that looked beautiful against her fair skin. I think the height scared her though; she quickly held my arm again. Her fingers were so cold…

We carried on in silence till the end of the stairs. I guided her to the boiler room, feeling the immediate increase in temperature when I stepped in. Kamaji was busy at work as usual, and the soot balls were scattering around holding pieces of charcoal. At the sight of Chihiro, they dropped all their charcoal pieces and started running towards her. She looked slightly shocked, but a small smile was forming at the corner of her lips. _I haven't witnessed that radiant smile of hers in a long time…_

"Hurry up and get working, you lazy soot balls!" Kamaji shouted in annoyance. He looked up, staring at the soot balls, then to Chihiro and me. His expression was softening at the sight of Chihiro. However, Chihiro was hiding behind me in a flash. "Is… that… really…" Kamaji was at a loss for words. "Yes, it is." My voice was obviously strained; there were so many things that needed to be explained… Chihiro's grip on my arm was getting tighter and I could feel the tension radiating from her. "Chihiro… don't be scared. This is Kamaji, the boiler man. He's not a bad guy and he won't hurt you." I said as I stroked her head to comfort her. She lifted her head slightly to look at Kamaji, and managed to stutter out, "U-um… I-It's n-nice to m-m-meet you… K-Kamaji…"

I had never seen Kamaji so bewildered before and just before I was about to say something, Lin came through the little passage with Kamaji's and the soot balls' food. "Hey, it's meal time!" The soot balls rushed over to her as usual and started frantically catching the star-shaped crackers. She handed a huge bowl of ramen to Kamaji. "What's wrong, Kamaji? Just now you were nagging for me to hurry up and now you're not even eating?" She was totally oblivious to the tension in the room.

She was just about to leave when she finally noticed me. "Hey Ha-" Her jaw dropped at the sight of Chihiro. "Se- I mean, Chihiro! You're back! You didn't even say hi!" She was grinning so widely and rushing towards Chihiro, I was tempted to stop her, but I had no chance. In a flash, she was already hugging Chihiro, squeezing all the air out of her lungs effectively. "I can't believe you're back! I've missed you _so_ much!" She cried out and she was actually getting a little teary. I sighed at her reaction, and turned to see Chihiro's mouth slightly opened and trying to gasp for air. She was shocked and maybe even slightly afraid of Lin's sudden and direct outburst. I quickly patted Lin to get her to let go.

"Go away, dragon. Chihiro and I are just catching up and you have to interrupt? You'll get your time later bud." She winked at me teasingly. I rolled my eyes at that, and just when I was going to get her to move again, Chihiro finally struggled free and hid behind me again. Lin was taken by surprise. "Chihiro, what's wrong?" She was frowning in worry for Chihiro. "I'll explain it to you later Lin, but please don't say anything about this for a while. I don't want Yubaba making a big thing out of this. Chihiro has enough to deal with currently." I said. Kamaji was eating and with his mouth full of ramen, he volunteered to hide Chihiro for the time being, which was my purpose of coming to the boiler room in the first place. I nodded my gratitude to him.

I turned to Chihiro, looking her in the eye. "I'll be leaving for a while, but I'll be back soon, okay? Kamaji will keep you company and safe. I need to explain some things to Lin first." Her lips drew into a cute little pout and she was frowning. "No… don't leave me… I'm scared…" She seemed too delicate at that point. "You have to do this if you want me to help you. Kamaji loves you like his own granddaughter. You can trust him. The soot balls here will take good care of you too. I'll be back soon, I promise." I looked at her and with a sad smile, I left her in the care of Kamaji and motioned for Lin to come with me out of the boiler room.

Once we were outside, Lin started spilling out every question that she had, catching me off guard. "What's going on?!" She lifted her arms in exasperation when I didn't answer her previous questions. When she finally shut up, I proceeded to tell her about the recent events. Her eyes widened when I told her that Chihiro had lost all her memories. "What? Why I'll kill that Hades son of a bitch for hurting her! Just wait and see…" She threatened as menacingly as she could. I sighed. "Make sure you don't tell anyone about this, especially Yubaba. Hide her here for a while for me. I can't stay too long because I'm not working in this bathhouse anymore. I'm going to go to Zeniba's and talk it out with her. In the meantime, maybe you can try to get closer to Chihiro and help to get back some of her memories? It could help her."

She grinned and slapped me on the arm. "What do you think I'm here for? I'll make sure to take good care of Chihiro!" I nodded in relief and turned to leave the bathhouse. "Oh, before I forget, Lin, don't push her. She's not ready yet…" Lin shouted an annoyed "Yes!" and left to get back to work. I smiled a little, then transformed into my dragon form to leave for Zeniba's cottage. _I hope her parents don't start overreacting though… _

[Lin's Story]

"Man, I'm dying here." I groaned as I rubbed my aching shoulders. I lay down on the mattress, closing my eyes in exhaustion. Just as I was about to drift off to sleep, Chihiro came to my mind. _Ahh… I wonder how she's doing... Maybe I should go over to check up on her… _"Check up on whom?" Ayano asked while yawning. _Oh shoot I said that out loud?!_ "Umm… I-It's nothing! Just… just go to sleep!" I slapped myself on the forehead. "Whatever, just go to sleep early. Don't wanna hear you complaining tomorrow." Came her reply, along with a few more yawns. "Yeah, whatever." I rolled my eyes and turned off the lights.

I stretched my arms, hearing a satisfying crack, then proceeding to stroll to the boiler room. When I crawled through the passageway, Kamaji was preparing to go to bed and the soot balls were all in their little holes snuggled up and asleep. Chihiro was lying down and sleeping peacefully on the raised platform. Kamaji's spare blanket was covering her and her hair was untied. It was sprawled out on the platform. Her hair was so long and a little ruffled. _I'll doll her up myself later. _Chuckling to myself, I went over to Kamaji. "How's she doing?"

"She fell asleep the moment you and Haku left." Kamaji replied, and with a loud yawn, he motioned for me to leave the room. "Go get some sleep or you'll be throwing fits tomorrow." He said sarcastically. "Fine, just take good care of her. I'll be back in the morning." I rolled my eyes and left.

[Chihiro's Story]

Rumbling sounds stirred me from my sleep. I rolled around, covering my ears to block out the noise. "Just… 5 more minutes… Mum…" I mumbled out. I went back to sleep, but was annoyingly interrupted by someone shaking me. "Come on, Chihiro! Wake up!" She was shaking me vigorously by the shoulders, and I gave up after struggling against her for a while. I sat up to get her to stop and I rubbed my sleepy eyes. My eyelids were unwilling to open so I just sat there, eyes closed. I almost dozed off if not for the cold water suddenly being splashed onto my face. "Wha… What?!" I cried out in utter annoyance. I was squirming about and finally opened my eyes to see the woman from yesterday.

"Oh, finally you're awake, Chihiro! Geez, when did you become such a sleepyhead? Come on! I have to get working soon!" She was grinning in excitement, though for what reason, I wasn't sure. I quickly wiped away the water from my face. I ran my fingers through my messed up hair, then tied it into a low side ponytail with the purple hair tie I'd been holding on to in my pal- _Oh crap! Where's the purple hair tie?!_ I scrambled around for it, quickly getting to my feet and surveying the place. The woman got up as well. _What's her name again..? I thought Haku mentioned it yesterday…_ "What's wrong? Are you missing something?" I quickly asked her if she'd seen a purple hair tie around.

She shook her head to my disappointment. I looked everywhere but to no avail. I was looking around till it struck me. I slapped myself for not asking sooner. "Um… Kamaji, did you happen to see a purple hair tie lying around somewhere?" He looked at me for a brief moment, a flicker of recognition showing on his wrinkled old face. "Oh that? I kept it for you. It's got special magic in it, so I kept it till you woke up. It's not good to let it lie around so carelessly." He continued working while extending one of his arms to hand me the purple hair tie. I held it with both hands, and for a split second, I swore I saw it glow beautifully. "Hey, Lin! Did you see that?" I exclaimed in amazement.

My smile paused for a moment. _How did I know her name? I couldn't remember it just now… I guess I just remembered from yesterday..? _I was so deep in thought that I failed to realize Lin was hugging me again. "You… you remember my name?" She whispered in unbelief. I could feel small drops of water falling onto my shoulder softly. "Y-yeah…" I replied awkwardly. Lin quickly broke away though, and with a huge smile plastered on her face, she handed me a bun. As soon as I nibbled on it, I realized how hungry I'd been and my stomach was hurting and grumbling loudly. I quickly chomped down on it and swallowed large chunks of it. In no time at all, I was done eating and soon, choking.

Lin was patting my back urgently and shot me worried looks. Tears were springing from my eyes from coughing so hard and my throat was sore. Kamaji gave me some water and drinking it was soothing. "Th… Thanks." I managed out softly with a hoarse voice. "So, do you remember anything?" Lin asked after both of us settled down comfortably on the platform. "U-Umm… Other than that my name is Chihiro, nothing else…" Lin looked pretty downcast, and seeing her like that made me feel upset too. It was obvious that I was supposed to know her, and we were supposed to be very close.

I felt so useless, so guilty for being the cause of their pain, the people whose names and faces I couldn't remember. The weight of the burden and pressure came crashing on me and I felt like I couldn't breathe. I was close to tears, but I held them in, unwilling to show others any sign of weakness. I was still afraid. The only thing I was sure of was this: I wanted to leave. And I wanted _answers._

I stood up quietly to the questioning gaze of Lin. "Chihiro..?" I quickly bolted to the door, knowing that crawling through the passageway would slow me down. As soon as I opened the door, the freezing winds hit me right smack in the face. I quickly ran up the stairs, forgetting about my fear of heights cleanly. Soon, I was gasping for air and I blew out swirly white mist with every breath. I was so caught up in escaping; I did not hear Lin's voice from behind. "Chihiro! Wait! You… can't leave the room..! It's… dangerous!" She was shouting in between pants.

_Dangerous..? _That word hung in the air, and everything seemed to be moving in slow motion when I whirled around to see a huge, intimidating dragon coming right at me.


	9. Unforgotten Promises

The Lost Spirit: Unforgotten Promises

What I heard was a shrill, bone-chilling scream. I lost the ability to move as the dragon opened its mouth, revealing perfect rows of razor-sharp teeth. I tried to run, but my legs refused to budge. It was coming closer. And closer… And closer… I shut my eyes tight, praying that it wouldn't eat me. The next thing I knew, my feet couldn't feel the ground. _Did my legs really go numb?_ The wind was strong against my body and I instinctively opened my eyes to see what was going on. I was at least 2000m above the ground (maybe I was a little exaggerated, but still.) and something was clutching onto my clothes. I turned my head and looked up against the strong force of the wind and ended up staring directly at the dragon's snout. I tried to stifle a scream, but to no avail.

Immediately I was frantically struggling about, trying to get out of its grasp. _What if it's bringing me to its nest to feed her babies?! What if it's going to leave me somewhere deserted to die?! What if… _"AAAAAHHHH!" I now found myself free-falling into oblivion.

[Haku's Story]

I reached Zeniba's cottage in no time. I knocked on the door impatiently, wanting to hurry back to ensure Chihiro's safety. I had to admit, I was worried about Lin too. Her crazy personality is a little worrisome… No Face opened the door and greeted me. He looked extremely anxious, with a deep frown etched into his face. I quietly bowed in response and spotted Zeniba knitting a purple sweater. "Ah, Haku, you're finally here. So, how's Chihiro?" She put down her work on the table and took off her glasses, giving me her full attention. "She's fine. But, she can't remember anything and I left her in the boiler room with Kamaji. Yubaba doesn't know she's there." Zeniba nodded in relief and just then, a couple rushed out from one of the rooms.

They wore anxious expressions on their worn faces. The surprise must have shown on my face; Zeniba introduced us to each other. _So… they're Chihiro's parents. _I bowed politely. "How's Chihiro? Where is she?" Chihiro's father did not put in any apparent effort to hide the desperation in his voice. "She's safe. Don't worry." Both of them heaved a loud sigh of relief, and her father sunk into a chair that was sitting nearby.

"I'll explain things to you later, but for now, just know that your daughter is in good hands," Zeniba chuckled and gave a reassuring nod to them. I heaved a tiny sigh of relief, relieved that I wouldn't have to stay here forever trying to explain everything in detail and away from Chihiro. "So, what do you think we should do for now?" I asked Zeniba. "Bring her here. I'm sure her parents won't pressurize her too much and stress her out when she has amnesia. Am I right, Akio-san and Yuko-san?" She looked at Chihiro's parents, who instantly nodded, though I wasn't entirely convinced. They looked desperate enough for their daughter that I was sure that they wouldn't let go of Chihiro once she got here.

"Don't worry, Haku. Now, off you go to get Chihiro." Zeniba quietly got up and saw me to the door. I bowed politely and changed into my dragon form, earning unmistakably loud gasps from Akio-san and Yuko-san. If I were in my human form, I would've openly smirked, but in dragon form, it wasn't obvious. I flew up, feeling the winds caress my entire being. On any other day, I would have taken my time relaxing in the winds, but for now, I would have to fly quickly to get Chihiro, in case she sneaks out or anything.

When I reached the bathhouse, I flew towards the boiler room, wanting to avoid the entrance as much as possible. Just as I was nearing it though, with my heightened senses, I heard a bit of shouting. _Lin. Crap. What's going on?! _The feeling was nerve racking and horrible. I couldn't make out what she was shouting, but I could already sense that something was wrong. In particular, Chihiro.

In the distance, I saw Chihiro running up the flight of steps that she was so afraid of. She was running away from Lin as if Lin was a hungry beast about to devour her. She had much better stamina than Lin though; Lin was quickly getting tired. Lin looked up and turned to look in my direction. Her eyes widened in shock. _Do I look that scary? She knows it's me, doesn't she? _I whipped my head around to see Yubaba in her bird form flying towards Chihiro, her eyes murderous. _Damn it!_ However, the speed of a dragon is not to be underestimated. I geared up and flew at top speed. Nearing Chihiro, she somehow sensed something and whirled around just when I used my teeth to grab her clothes and carry her off.

Her scream was absolutely horrible; it broke my heart into a million pieces. I winced at it, but flew off quickly. Yubaba had already given up and was flying back to the bathhouse, but I could tell that she knew where we were headed.

_RIP!~ _The part of Chihiro's clothes where I was grabbing onto was now gone, and her scream was the one thing that filled my ears as I watched her figure become smaller and smaller as she fell. _Chihiro!_ I flew towards her and easily landed her on my back safely. She was still screaming, but had the sense to quickly grab my horns to steady herself. I could feel her shaking violently on my back, so I slowed down a little and flew to a nearby forest where I could explain things to her and calm her down.

In a few minutes, she scrambled off my back onto the soft grass. She stared at me, horror plain in her eyes. "A-are you… g-going to eat m-me..?" she sputtered out. I almost growled in response to her absurd thinking. Upon seeing her back away frantically, I realized I was actually snarling at her and inching closer and closer in an intimidating way. I mentally punched myself in the face and quickly transformed into my human form.

[Chihiro's Story]

The dragon was inching closer and closer to me with each step and menacing growl. It had an intimidating expression which made my heart leap into my throat. _Oh gosh, please don't eat me… I haven't regained my memory yet and I'm going to die without it! _I backed away further, hoping to run and hide in one of the bushes I could spot a distance away from the corner of my eye. Just as I was going to take off sprinting though, the dragon changed into a human.

"Chihiro, don't be scared. It's me, Haku." The familiarity of the voice stunned me for a brief moment. Haku..? I listed out 3 possibilities of the situation.

I was dreaming/having a nightmare.

I was hallucinating.

Haku really was a dragon.

I jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I snapped out of my thoughts and realized I was face to face with Haku. _I can feel him, so I can't be hallucinating._

"Pinch me." I said softly and shakily. His face turned into one of concern and amusement. "Why?" He placed the back of his other hand on my forehead. "You're not sick, Chihiro. Is there something wrong?" I pinched myself on the arm, hard, which resulted in me hissing in pain. _So I wasn't dreaming. Then… _I looked at Haku again who was now checking my bruised arm. "Geez, Chihiro, what are you trying to- Chihiro..? What… what's wrong?" He asked, his hand now holding my cheek.

My heart was starting to beat rapidly involuntarily, as fear gripped me. I slowly backed away from Haku, but the hand on my shoulder had an iron grip on me and I winced in pain. "Don't be afraid, Chihiro. It's just me, Haku." He repeated, this time slowly and gently. He tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

"But… just now…"

"You were in danger, Chihiro. Why did you run out like that?! Did you know that you were discovered by Yubaba?!" His grip on me was getting tighter and tighter and I tried to get his hand off me. "S-Sorry…" He muttered in apology, taking his hand away. "Look, I'm a dragon, but I won't hurt you, okay? Just, be more careful next time. I don't want you getting hurt. You have no idea how much you mean-" He stopped mid-sentence abruptly, and from his expression, I could tell he was chiding himself. I wonder what he was going to say… But his words made me feel more at ease with him, and I smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Haku," I apologized.

"It's okay. But, what were you doing running away from Lin like that from the boiler room?" His tone was serious again. I fiddled with my fingers awkwardly, knowing that if I told him, he would surely get mad at me again. "It… It was nothing to worry about. Let's go." I stood up, but he pulled me down again. "Don't change the subject, Chihiro. I want to know why. Just tell me. I promise I won't get mad at you, alright?" His expression softened, though just looking at his piercing gaze was difficult. I looked down awkwardly. "I… I'm sorry… I'm so useless, I can't remember anything… I'm the cause of everyone's pain now, so I wanted to leave, I just wanted to get away from it all… It's too much! It's just too pressurizing! I can't remember anything! It's my fault! I want answers, but no one wants to tell me..!" My face was buried in Haku's chest as he pulled me into his strong arms.

"It's not your fault, Chihiro. No one's blaming you for your memory loss. It's not your fault, and you are definitely not hurting us!" He was hugging me even tighter, as if afraid that I would be taken away from him. "But-" I tried to speak, but he cut me off, this time, sounding much tenderer. "Look, the reason for us, or me, not telling you much is because I'm afraid that you can't handle too much now. What matters for now is that you're safe. If you're afraid of causing us pain, then stay safe! Don't leave us and get into trouble. Promise?" He pulled away from me and wiped a stray tear on my cheek.

I sniffed a few more times before wiping my tears. "Promise." Suddenly, an image flashed in my mind. I saw Haku standing behind me with a sad glint in his eyes.

"_Will we meet again someday?" I asked._

"_Sure we will," he replied._

"_Promise?"_

"_Promise. Now go, and don't look back." _

"What's wrong?! Chihiro!" Haku was hovering above me and his hand was on my back, lifting me up. I was in a daze, my face blank. _What was that..?_ My eyes darted to Haku's concerned face, giving him a questioning look. "You just… You just passed out for like, 5 seconds!" He shouted in exasperation. My gaze never left his face as I thought about that image I saw… and what he said.

He lifted me up carefully with his hand on my back, leaving my head to rest on his shoulder. "What's wrong?" he repeated. "I… I…" I didn't know what to say, and couldn't say anything. I merely stared at Haku. "Hey, don't be afraid. Just speak your mind. Did you remember something?" he asked. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as I thought about that mental image again. I knew that memory from somewhere, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. What were we doing..?

"Never mind that for now, I think you've been through a lot today. Come on, I'm bringing you to Zeniba's cottage to get some rest." He swept me off the ground, carrying me in a princess-like style. I was too dazed to even blush at the intimacy of our contact. I didn't react in the slightest even when he changed into that intimidating dragon from before with me on his back, letting me feel his beautiful scales. I replayed that short scene over and over in my head, trying to figure it out. I fell asleep dreaming about it.

When I woke up, I was on a bed, and a woman was sitting on the bed next to me. Her eyes were swollen, hinting that she had been crying for a long time. "Oh, Chihiro baby, you're awake!" She wrapped her arms around me, surprising me. A man rushed over at the sound of her outburst and enveloped all of us in a hug as well. What I wouldn't give to get some air. But, I remained silent and still as they remained in that uncomfortable position around me, not wanting to hurt their feelings unnecessarily, especially since I was supposed to know them. I tried guessing who they were, though it was obvious enough for me to guess that they were my parents.

"Are you feeling okay, hon?" My mother asked after they finally pulled away. I nodded awkwardly, finding it hard to be as enthusiastic as them, since, well, right now, they were still strangers to me, family or not. "Where… am I..?" I asked softly. "We're at Zeniba's cottage." I immediately brightened up at the sound of Haku's voice. A tiny smile of relief made its way onto my face. He was now walking towards us, bowing respectfully to my parents, before sitting next to me. "Are you hungry?" My stomach responded with a loud, embarrassing growl. I flushed in embarrassment to Haku's chuckle. "Come on, Zeniba's got a feast laid on the table. Let's not waste food, shall we?"

He took my hand and led me to another room, where a long table with a large variety of appetizing dishes and snacks on it. "Welcome, dear! Take a seat and help yourself!" A pleasant voice said.

3 minutes later, we were all seated at the table after I was done freaking out when I saw No-Face. To my surprise, he was very sweet and gentle, the complete opposite of my first impression of him: Scary, intimidating, murderous, etc. Sitting directly opposite me was Zeniba, an endearing granny who loves sewing and knitting. She had a prominent crooked nose and an extraordinarily large head, with her silvery gray hair tied in a bun. I tried to chew my food as slowly as possible, but my hunger was getting the best of me. I ate a lot of food because her cooking was exceptional. The cakes were all soft and sweet, the biscuits were not crumbly but delectable. She cooked steak with mash potatoes and vegetables on the side. The steak was tender and juicy, which made my mouth water a couple of times when I thought about it even after eating. (Author's Note: I'm drooling while writing this; I haven't eaten my lunch yet!)

After we were all done eating in awkward silence other than the occasional "Please pass the pepper" or other simple requests, I thanked Zeniba politely for the food. She smiled charmingly and taught me how to knit, which made me feel relaxed, and got my mind off my memory and the awkwardness between me and my parents.

* * *

"Wake up, Chihiro. Go to your bed and sleep." I stirred as Haku gently shook me to get me to wake up. "You fell asleep while knitting. It's late and everyone's asleep. Let's get you to your room. Come on, get up." After trying in vain to get me to stand up, he gave up and simply carried me up effortlessly and went towards the guestroom. Thank goodness I wasn't in the same room as my parents… "Haku," I nudged Haku sleepily. "Yes?" "I think I remembered something when we were in the forest…" Haku stopped in his tracks abruptly, jerking me which managed to stop me from dozing off.

He then continued to my room and set me carefully on the bed, pulling the covers over me gently. "What do you remember?" He asked while watching me pull out my sparkly purple hair tie and wearing it on my wrist. "Well… I saw you and I standing somewhere… I think it was in front of a huge plain… A beautiful one… Then I heard a small part of our conversation…" Haku's face was now softening, and he looked pretty sad.

"What were we talking about?" he asked.

"I said, 'Will we meet again someday?', and you replied, 'Sure we will', then you promised me that we would…" I looked to see tears forming in his eyes, which made his emerald eyes sparkle even more. "Haku..? Are you okay?"

I soon found myself in his arms, and I felt his tears fall on my shoulder. I couldn't help but squeeze Haku back. Something told me that the promise he made was important. It was important to both of us.

"You didn't break your promise then." I smiled.


	10. It's Not Over Yet

The Lost Spirit: It's Not Over Yet

A/N: Yay I figured out how to make the lines there so the stuff has been separated so yay! ^^ Sorry I accidentally deleted the chapter trying to update it... =="

* * *

I lazily opened my eyes to the sunlight dancing through the window beside my bed. It was dead silent in the house and I decided to continue sleeping. "Bang!" I jerked up and looked towards the door to see my father standing there with a broad grin on his face. "Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!" Pretending not to hear him, I fell back on the bed with a loud thump and pulled the covers over my head. "Not so early… I'm tired…" I whined, my voice muffled under the covers. "Come on, get up, you lazy girl! Today it's just going to be you and me! Your old man's going to teach you to fish, just like old times!" he boomed as he pulled the covers off me roughly and ruffled my hair. I tried glaring to scare him away, but it didn't work. He pulled my arms and dragged me out of bed, and I had to scramble to keep from falling directly on my butt.

"I've never failed to wake you up eh. Now, you go get ready and I'll be waiting outside for you." He sauntered out of the room happily, and after giving me one last look, he walked out. Instantly, I quietly closed the door, and to my delight, no sound was made when I locked the door. Sneakily, I slipped back into bed and rubbed my tired eyes, going back to sleep. I giggled to myself, waiting to see my dad's reaction, and hoping that he would not make a ruckus to get me out of bed again.

* * *

"Chihiro! It's been an hour since I woke you up! What on earth are you doing in there?!" A loud knocking on the door woke me up and I couldn't help but laugh quietly, however annoyed at the loud and rude interruption to my slumber. "Open the door now!" he yelled, and I couldn't help but snicker at his reaction. Too bad I couldn't see his face; his expression must have been priceless. "Come on, Chihiro. Get up. Now." Haku's voice came from outside.

* * *

"Isn't this great?" Dad said in a sing-song voice. I rolled my eyes, sighing for the twenty-third time in annoyance. Haku smirking at me wasn't helping either. Haku had opened the door with the help of Zeniba's spare keys and had literally dragged me outside, then basically kidnapping me to go fishing with Dad. I had no idea how to fish and in the past 4 hours, I had caught nothing compared to the bounty Dad had. Haku wasn't doing half bad either, which irritated me further.

"Fishing isn't that bad, Chihiro. Just be patient and wait." Haku nudged me in the elbow playfully. I scowled at him, fiddling about with my fingers and wiping my sweat. Sitting under the hot sun for 4 hours wasn't fun at all. "Easy for you to say, I haven't caught anything!" I lifted my hands in exasperation, dropping the fishing rod. "Your rod! Chihiro! Hurry!" Dad shouted. I looked up to see that something had been caught on my fishing rod, and it was pulling my rod away. I scrambled for it, my fingers barely missing it before it fell into the pond with a loud splash.

Still trying to suppress his laughter, Haku patted me on the shoulder for some comfort. Not that it helped. "At least you tried." Doubling over with laughter, Dad patted me on the back saying, "Aww, that's too bad. I'll make you another rod next time, okay?" "There's still a next time?!" I exclaimed in mock horror and exasperation at both of them. Dad merely snickered and ruffled my hair. "Practice makes perfect darling! Haku here did all right. You used to hate fishing with me too, but we would always go home happy." He smiled at the memory, and I smiled, silently agreeing with him. It was pretty fun to have a goofy dad I guess.

"Well… I guess we should head back now?" Haku broke the momentary silence. I brightened up immediately. "Yes please!"

* * *

Patting my belly satisfied, I lay on my bed, sprawling out on the soft sheets. Mum's cooking was really good. In a matter of minutes, I was dozing off. "Hey… Chihiro, you awake?" I opened my eyes and saw Haku standing in front of me. Surprised, I quickly sat up properly, trying to smooth out my hair and look more presentable. I could feel my cheeks heating up from the embarrassment of letting Haku see me in that sprawled out position on the bed. "U-Uh yeah… Is there anything wrong?" I decided to take an interest in the floorboards and started staring at it. "I want to bring you somewhere." Haku took me by the hand and started leading me gently to the door.

I rolled my eyes when Dad gave me the thumbs-up sign, pointing to Haku. Outside, Haku changed into his dragon form and I gladly got on, finding riding on his back a new-found joy. It was amazing how the wind could feel so refreshing. It was nothing like I had ever experienced before... well, if I did, I wouldn't remember. Sadly. We soon arrived at a large expanse of green grass. It seemed strangely familiar, though I couldn't put my finger on it. Changing back into his human form, both of us walked towards the plain. "Where… is this..?" I asked in awe. Its beauty was absolutely astounding and breathtaking.

"Where we said goodbye." I looked at Haku, noticing the same sad glint in his eyes that I had seen in my dream. "Oh." My response was automatic, and I wanted to slap myself for that lame response, because it was obviously something important to both of us. I surveyed the surroundings, and then closed my eyes to try replaying the dream in my head, hoping to remember. I felt a wave of dizziness as I pressured myself to think of something more. I untied my hair in an attempt to relieve some pressure from my head and held my hair tie close to my chest.

As I ignored the throbbing in my head and focused, I seemed to remember a red tunnel at the end of the plain. I tried walking, but Haku held me back. "No, this is as far as we can go, Chihiro."

"…_but I can't go any further." _A fresh wave of dizziness hit me, and my head throbbed violently. I couldn't stop the groan that escaped my lips, and I stumbled into Haku's arms. He sat me down carefully, chiding me. "Don't force yourself, Chihiro! Take your time remembering, but don't push it." He pressed his thumb on my forehead, and magically, the pain went away. I watched him with wide eyes. "I know some magic spells." Haku chuckled, amusement glinting in his eyes.

As he stood up, I tugged on his hakama. "Tell me." I pleaded. He looked like he was in an internal war with himself mentally. "It's a long story, Chihiro," he said. "I've got time, so just tell me." After a moment's hesitation, he relented and sat down in front of me, clearing his throat. "Okay," he began slowly.

At the end, I was feeling… weird. I had interrupted him many times to ask questions because I was so edgy. "So… I'm… dead..?" I asked slowly, still trying to digest this news. "Well… yeah, technically, but here in the Spirit World, you're far from dead. Right now, you are a spirit, just like me," he replied simply, holding my hand to comfort me… or to stop my hand from trembling so hard. "What matters is that you're safe now, Chihiro. Nothing else is more important than your safety to me. Do you understand?" He squeezed my hands warmly, and I could feel the fear in me slowly dissipating. I nodded and smiled a little.

_Flashing lights everywhere. The car horns rang about in my ear drums. The braking sound of the tires screeched loudly, as though someone were screaming. Everything went blurry, and I could feel pain on my head, ribs, and limbs. There was a faint, metallic smell of blood filling up the area around me. I was dizzy, and the agonizing pain was shooting up quickly. I was panicked, yet strength was leaving me so quickly, there was no way for me to move. Then… everything went dark. _

A shrill scream was ringing in my ears and it didn't seem to stop. It then dawned on me that I was the one screaming and struggling frantically in Haku's arms. My cheeks were wet with tears as I remembered that vividly horrible memory. "It's alright, Chihiro. I'm here," he repeated softly, trying to soothe me. Soon enough, I stopped when I regained my senses, but I wasn't over the shock yet.

When we got back, I skipped dinner because of my lack of appetite. Haku carried me into my room and laid me on the bed, but as he turned to leave I gripped his hand tightly, my hands clammy and shaky. "Don't leave… I'm scared…" I whimpered pathetically, feeling close to tears. "I won't ever leave you, Chihiro. Hush and go to sleep," he said comfortingly. I closed my eyes, but sleep did not come easily. Haku simply sat by my side silently, squeezing my hand every now and then. I looked out the window. Beautiful stars decorated the night sky and they danced about brilliantly, seeming so carefree, the complete opposite of what I was. As I continued to stare at the stars, I could feel sleep finally arriving. I guess the sandman finally came. I turned my head sleepily to look at Haku, and I saw him looking at the stars with a distant look in his eyes. He caught me staring at him and smiled, stroking my cheek tenderly before I fell asleep.

I woke up in the middle of the night screaming in cold sweat, which awoke Haku instantly. He pulled me into a hug, squeezing me tightly to calm me down. Dreaming about death wasn't fun, especially when it was yours. I couldn't stop shaking, and I decided to stop sleeping. I wanted to go out to get some air, but Haku wouldn't let me go alone, even though his eye bags were getting pretty obvious, so I decided to stay in bed so that Haku could get more rest.

"Is everything alright?" Mum burst into the room with Dad, both of them frowning with deep concern. "She had a bad dream and now she can't go back to sleep," Haku replied. Mum simply smiled at us. "Haku you can go back into your room. I'll take it from here." Haku obeyed, glancing over his shoulder at me before leaving with Dad. "Hi, Mum, sorry for waking you." I tried to sound cheerful, though it didn't exactly work out. She took a seat beside me on the bed. "It's okay," she replied softly, "now close your eyes and try going to sleep. Everything's alright." Her voice was very soothing, and when she started singing a familiar, soft lullaby, I could literally feel all the muscles in my body relax and my shaking stop. It had a magical power of some sort to take all my anxiety away.

1 minute into it and I was yawning, feeling drowsy again. She stroked my hair and sang me to sleep. Magically, the nightmares all went away, and I slept more peacefully than ever.

[Haku's Story]

The next morning, the minute I woke up I almost charged into Chihiro's room, anxious to see how she was. "Don't worry, she's much better now," Chihiro's mother put her hand on my shoulder and nodded to me as her way of thanks. I smiled in relief and nodded back. I walked into in my room and sat on my bed, still troubled by what Zeniba had told me a few days before.

[Flashback]

"What is it?" I asked impatiently as Zeniba slowly sipped her cup of tea. She told me it was something urgent and yet she was taking her time. "It's about Hades," she said seriously, putting down her cup and taking off her glasses. I must have snarled, because Zeniba was staring at me, amusement and surprise in her eyes. I did not lose control of my emotions that easily. Clearing her throat, she continued. "Like I said in the beginning, he's planning something. You do know that with his power now, he can take over the Spirit World right?" I nodded quickly, my jaw set tight. "The 'darkness' that he took from Chihiro is limited. He will need to have more after a while to keep it up." I nodded, the horror of realization hitting me. "So he's going to come after Chihiro again?"

"Yes, but not only that. He's going to make sure she remembers everything so that she will be like the previous Chihiro, the one full of 'darkness' and then suck everything out again from her. It'll be a dreadful and vicious cycle for her, one that will never end," Zeniba ended off harshly. I wanted to hit something to get rid of the worry and anger building up in me. I wasn't one to show such emotions, but whenever it came to Chihiro, something would just go off in me. "How do you know all this, Zeniba?"

"I have my sources and my own smart speculations," she added. I stood up to leave the cottage, and Zeniba remained silent, knowing that talking wasn't a good idea when I was in this mood.

I was now in a great dilemma. Should I help Chihiro remember her past, or should I keep her in the dark forever?

[End of flashback]

I hadn't meant for Chihiro to remember her death… Guilt washed over me and I punched the bed, leaving a deep and large indent in the sheets. Taking a few deep breaths to steady myself, I started thinking about what to do. Anything would be good, as long as Chihiro was safe.

* * *

A/N: Hey guys! So how's the fan fiction so far? Good? Bad? Leave a review please! By the way, I have a small request for you guys (: I recently had this dream and got some inspiration for a new story (cool right? Haha) and I've been thinking of writing a new story on Wattpad, and I've already gotten a rough sketch of the storyline, but I need some help with the naming of the dude…

He's a rash, impulsive, fearless, bold, and hot-tempered (basically, explosive emotions) and a strong and upright person, and I've researched some names to reflect his personality, but I just can't seem to find one that can suit him best… So please leave me a review along with the name that you think is best! (:

Alard (strength)

Emery (strength)

Austin (honor)

Wesley (honor)

Winston (courage)

Thanks guys! 3


	11. Trouble

The Lost Spirit: Trouble

A/N: YES I'M FINALLY BACK HOME AFTER MY FAMILY VACATION! I never fail to get homesick when I'm overseas… Anyway, my Dad made me watch Frozen ==" The gory scenes and bloody screaming were horrible! I didn't sleep well that night… *sigh* But anyhow, I thought of adding some fluffy Haku-Chihiro dialogues before the story to spice things up! :DDD Yes, me likey fluffy fluff like Stitch hahaha ^^

Haku: Pick a card.

Chihiro: *takes one*

Haku: You got the ace of hearts right?

Chihiro: Wow how did you know?

Haku: What can I say? You've stolen my heart~

* * *

[Chihiro's P.O.V]

"Morning, Haku," I pushed his door open with a bright smile on my face. He didn't seem to notice me though; he looked distracted, just like how he'd been since a few days ago… He was lying down on his back staring blankly at the ceiling, clearly deep in thought. Well, chances like these did not come every day. I got down on my knees and sneakily crawled over to him without him noticing. Thankfully, his eyes were closed so it made my mission a lot easier. I held in my laughter as much as possible before making sure my face was directly above his. 1… 2… 3..! "Hey there, sleeping beauty!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. The next thing I knew, a fist had made painful contact with my right cheek. Immediately I backed away to the wall, wincing as I carefully stroked my cheek. I turned to see a distraught Haku, which made me burst out laughing, but not without groaning when I opened my mouth to laugh.

"Ah! Sorry Chihiro! Are you okay?" In a flash he was in front of me carefully caressing my cheek. "Ouch! Um, yeah I'm fine. Just a small bruise, that's all, nothing to worry about," I said half sarcastically. I grinned when he rolled his eyes, trying hard to ignore the pain in my cheek. "Stop smiling, Chihiro. And why did you do that anyway?" he flicked my forehead and started to dig around in a drawer near his bed. "Well, chances like these to actually have a good chance in scaring you hardly come by. I didn't know you would actually land a punch in my face. Man, Haku, do you work out a lot?" I continued in an incredulous tone while he returned with a white cloth. He placed it on his left palm and raised his other palm directly above it. When he removed his right palm, some ice cubes had formed in the cloth and he gathered up the cloth, pressing it against my cheek as gently as possible. "Ouch! It hurts!" I whined, trying to push his arms away, though he easily suppressed me and continued with the torture from hell.

"It'll help stop the swelling, now stop moving or it'll hurt even more. And to answer your question, I'm just naturally strong, I guess," he said as he sat me down on the bed, putting my hands down. I almost snorted at his remark. I never knew Haku could be the egoistic type... Wait, what am I saying? It's not like I've known him for a long time… "I'm not egoistic, if that's what you're thinking, Chihiro," Haku offered quietly, as he gradually added more pressure on my bruise.

"I wasn't thinking that."

"Yes, you were."

"No, I wasn't."

"Don't try denying it."

"How do you know?"

"Your face said it all."

I pouted internally and folded my arms in silent defeat, which made Haku chuckle in amusement.

* * *

"Okay, you're fine now," Haku commented after a few minutes of playing the silent game together. I tried moving my facial muscles slightly, and it didn't hurt that bad already since the ice made my bruise numb. "Thanks…" I mumbled as I shuffled to my feet. Just as I was about to exit the room, Haku's distracted look resurfaced in my mind. I turned around to see Haku back in his original position, sighing and gazing at the ceiling. I walked back a little closer to him, but maintaining a safe distance away in case of earning another bruise. "Hey, Haku…" I called. He inclined his head to look at me. Seeing my uncomfortable expression, he sat up with a concerned look. "Does it still hurt?" I shook my head, much to his relief. "Well… then is there anything you need?" he offered. I hesitated before asking, afraid that I would be prying in too much.

"Chihiro..? Did you remember something..?" I looked up and noticed Haku was now walking towards me. He had an unusual sharp edge to his voice. "No… I didn't remember anything…" I paused as I watched him take a long and slow breath. "It's just… you've been pretty distracted lately… Is there anything wrong..?" I asked quietly. A look of surprise flickered across his face for a moment, but he quickly recovered. "Nothing's wrong, Chihiro," he concluded with a smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Stop lying, Haku. I may have amnesia, but I'm not stupid. Are you okay?" I was furrowing my eyebrows in concern.

"I'm fine, really," he insisted. "Instead of worrying about me, worry about yourself, Chihiro. You were in really bad shape last night… Are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah… The lullaby that Mum sang to me worked like magic, and it sounded oddly familiar… I guess she must have sung it to me before I lost my memory?" I added. Haku smiled and proceeded to see me out of his room, saying that he was going to be busy reading up some spell books that Zeniba had. He then shut his door once I was outside. I lingered there for a while until I realized my parents were not in the cottage. "Mum? Dad?" I called out as I went into their room. The fishing gear that Dad had made by himself was all gone, so I figured they had gone fishing together. I rolled my eyes, smiling to myself at the recent memory. After prancing about the cottage for a while, I got bored and wandered outside the cottage to find something to do.

I stretched and inhaled the refreshing scent of the warm morning breeze. I removed the purple hair tie from my wrist and tied my hair up in a simple ponytail. Walking about and feeling the breeze on my face felt strangely nostalgic. Feeling the soil beneath my feet, I thought I could almost hear the sound of waves on a shore which made me flinch involuntarily. Before I could even begin to wonder why though, a sharp cry of pain caught my attention. I looked around for the source of the sound, but didn't notice anything. It came again, and instinctively, I began sprinting towards the source it. The worst possibilities of the situation ran through my mind. What if someone got bitten by some poisonous bug?! What if he was being buried alive in the mud?! What? Buried alive?! Stop it, Chihiro! You're thinking too much!

Panting heavily, a hole came into view. The cries of pain seemed to be coming from there. I rushed over and looked over, careful not to fall in. A short man was stuck in there. He wore a navy blue shirt and a matching pair of pants that was soiled from the mud. His pointed hat and shoes were quite animated though. He was hissing with pain and holding his ankle. "Hello? You okay?" I called out. He paused and looked at me, before his face contorted with pure distaste. "Do I look okay? Just get out of my sight. Kids are nothing but trouble."

I frowned at his curt response. "That's not the way you say thanks to someone who's trying to help you, dwarf." His eyes flashed at me in annoyance, which made my heart skip a beat for a moment. "I never asked for your help, and for your information, I am a goblin, not a dwarf!" He shook a fist at me. Wow, that dude must really hate dwarfs… I looked around and found a huge branch lying in the distance. I ran off, and heard him cursing yet again. "You stupid girl! When someone is in a ditch and completely helpless, you don't just run off!" I smirked at him when I came back, branch in hand. I hid it behind me purposefully to play along. "I thought you said you didn't want my help?"

He cussed under his breath before replying. "Just… get me out of here!" he muttered in defeat. I held out the branch and lowered it down to him. "Grab hold of it and I'll pull." He hesitated for a moment before complying. I pulled him up easily, surprised at his light weight. He lay on the ground and rolled onto his back, sitting up. He tried standing up, but fell down almost comically. The corners of my mouth twitched, and seeing my bemused expression, his eyes shot daggers at me, though I didn't bother with that. "Is that how you thank someone?" I asked sarcastically. He rolled his eyes and tried getting up again, but he fell again, clutching his ankle tightly. I walked over and squatted next to him, taking a look at his ankle. It was bruised pretty badly and it was swelling up. I touched it lightly, earning a loud groan from him. "Get away from me!" he complained. "Your ankle's sprained. Where do you live? I'll get you home," I offered.

"No need. I can walk just fine."

"You can't even stand up. Stop being stubborn." I said sternly. He looked a little appalled but quickly replaced it with his oh-so-scary look. He tried standing up again to try proving his point, and obviously failed again. In the end, he took my outstretched hand and got up. "Don't you have better things to do, kid?" he asked. I smiled and carried him on my back. "If I knew what, I wouldn't be helping you, would I?"

* * *

"We're here," the goblin announced. In front of me was a small and modest cottage. I went ahead and pushed the door, but it wouldn't budge. He sighed and muttered some weird syllables, and the door opened just like that. I bent down to enter, and was greeted by the musty smell of the room. Papers lay all over the coffee table and couch, with bottles of colorful liquids lying around, some broken with the liquids pouring out. "Stop staring, girl. This ain't your house, so don't make yourself at home." I opened my mouth to retort, but decided against it. After all, it _was_ his home. He directed me to his bedroom, where the place was surprisingly neat in contrast to the living room outside. I set him on the bed and wrinkled my nose in disgust when his soiled pants dirtied the clean sheets. "Where's your first-aid-kit?" I asked.

"What's a first-aid-kit?" he asked. I paused to see if he was being sarcastic, but the confusion in his eyes was genuine. "Never mind, do you have any bandages?" I asked. "I'm… not sure…" he replied. I was stumped. How could he not know?! This was his house! Frustrated, I was about to reply when my eyes fell on some bandages sticking out of one of the drawers beside the bed. I fought the urge to roll my eyes and opened the drawer to find some bandages and medication. I carefully applied some of the medication on his ankle, though it smelled funny. I proceeded to bandage it carefully, though in the process I earned a lot of yelling and cursing from the grumpy goblin. It wasn't my fault he didn't have any ice or something to press on his ankle! Finally, I was done. Before I could leave though, my stomach started complaining from its hunger. I must have stayed for very long.

"You hungry?" he asked. I stubbornly looked away, but my stupid stomach gave me away. He smirked, but hobbled off the bed out. "Hey! Where're you going? You shouldn't be walking around!" I yelled after him. "I'm tougher than I look and I feel better after the medication. And anyway, I'm hungry too!" he yelled back. I offered to help with the food, but he refused. "The place is so messy and the ingredients are everywhere. If I let you cook, you might end up concocting some destructive crap!"

Minutes later, a delicious aroma filled the air. My stomach responded almost immediately, and the goblin limped over with some plates and placed them on the table outside, over the messed up papers decorating it. I helped him place the dishes on the table and both of us started eating. We had a bowl of steamed rice each, and there was a plate of grilled fish and another plate with vegetables. Both of us gobbled down the food in our hunger and it soon turned into a childish competition to see who could finish first. In the end, he won, smirking victoriously at me.

"It's getting dark, so you better go back home, girl," he said. I smiled and thanked him for the meal. "My name's Chihiro, so don't call me 'girl' anymore." With that, I left the cottage and started for Zeniba's cottage. Thankfully it wasn't that far away and I could remember where I had come from.

The minute I opened the door, Haku's face was inches away from mine. "Where were you, Chihiro?" he asked sternly. I flinched a little at the menacing look in his eyes, but stood my ground. What was his problem? "I was out," I replied simply, side-stepping him and walked towards my room. He grabbed hold of my hand and stopped me, slamming the front door to show his frustration. "Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?" His grip on my hand was starting to hurt, and I tried to get him off, but angry Haku meant stubborn Haku. "Get your hand off! It hurts! Haku!" My voice raised a few decibels. "Where were you?" he emphasized each word slowly, as if speaking to a 5-year-old child. Just as I was about to retort, my parents entered the room, back from their fishing trip. "Hey Chihiro! You won't believe the-"

He paused when he saw Haku and I in our intense battle. Mom sighed and broke us apart. "What's gotten into you two?" Haku was the first to file a complaint. "Chihiro basically went missing during the day and now she won't tell me where she went." My jaw dropped at his accusation. "What do you mean missing? I just went outside for a walk and you're making such a big deal out of it!" I shouted angrily. Before Haku could open his mouth and reply, I went into my room, more annoyed than ever. I slammed the door to my room and locked it, then lay on my bed. I shouted into the pillow to vent my frustrations and after a while, my throat was dry and sore. I almost went out to get some water, but decided against it. I didn't want to have another run-in with Haku. I stayed in my room silently, staring blankly outside.

I missed dinner, having no appetite, and ignored the numerous knocks on my door from Haku. Soon, I fell asleep, having used up my energy from staying mad at Haku.

* * *

[?]

"So, how did it go?" Master's voice boomed in the darkness around me.

"She finished her food cleanly, Master," I replied with my head bowed in respect.

"Every last drop of the potion was added, right?"

"Yes, all into her food. She didn't suspect a thing." I replied.

His laughter filled the place and his piercing eyes turned back to me in delight. "Good job, you have never failed to amaze me with your shape shifting abilities, Toranosuke. I take it you have already taken care of the goblin?"

"Yes, and I assure you, Master, his body will not be found."

"Well done!" He clapped his hands in pleasure.

"Master, if I may, what is the potion for?"

"I need Ogino Chihiro to remember her past; I still have use for her. That potion that she has consumed will ensure she remembers her darkest memory that she has in a matter of days, and also speed up the recovery of her memory."

I was slightly taken aback. That girl… she had a pure and innocent heart… "Hmm? What's wrong, Toranosuke?" I shook myself out of my absurd thoughts. "Nothing of importance, Master."

* * *

A/N: How was it? The chapter and the dialogue? Please review cuz' reviews are really sweet :D Shanks for reading~

Chihiro: Hey! These cards are all the ace of hearts! Haku, you cheater!


	12. Back to the Start

The Lost Spirit: Back to the Start

A/N: Arrgh mosquitoes are really a pain in the neck. I just got 10 bites in one night and because it wouldn't leave me alone, I slept in another room and left it alone with my sister (: Haha I'm a bad older sister, I know, but she was already sleeping! Although, she moved into the other room with me later when she woke up itching all over. Hope you like it hehe~ This chapter is so intense I just couldn't leave the computer, but I did because I was being yelled at by my parents to go eat my dinner. I practically stuffed everything down in 5 minutes.

Oh by the way, if you guys heard any Christian songs before, there's a song called "Rain Down" and then the lyrics for the second verse go:

Back to the start,

My heart is heavy~

Feels like it's time to dream again~

I keep playing the song in my head each time I see this title HAHAHAHA~ Excuse me and my weird behavior sorry… ):

* * *

Chihiro: *putting on make-up*

Haku: Don't apply the blusher.

Chihiro: What? Why?

Haku: So I'll know when I make you blush~

* * *

After giving Haku the silent treatment for the next full day, I got tired of him pestering me and gave up. "Chihiro, I'm sorry for blowing up at you the way I did but it was only because I was so worried about you." I sighed in defeat. It was so hard to ignore him and I was already going to give up anyway. "Fine, I forgive you, Haku," I sighed. Seeing Haku's brightened face was pretty comical. "I knew you wouldn't be able to keep up with the silent treatment towards me."

I frowned. "I would," I lied. "Sure you would," he smirked and grinned at me. "Fine, then how about a 2 out of 3?" I offered. "You know you're really stubborn?" he asked incredulously. But he shrugged his shoulders, seemingly confident about another victory. No way was that going to happen. "Okay," he complied, "starting now." I imitated zipping up my mouth and throwing the key. He returned that with a cold stare. Ouch. I turned to leave, but was suddenly held back by him. Before I could react in the slightest, he had his lips on my chin. I blushed furiously and felt the heat spread to the tips of my ears. "What… What did you do that for?!" I sputtered out in embarrassment. He chuckled. "I won. 2 out of 3 remember?"

I stared at him incredulously. "What? Hey! That didn't count!" I retorted, trying to look away from those green eyes. His finger tipped my chin up, forcing to look at him. I felt my heart pounding so loudly in my chest, I was sure it was already echoing in the room. "I can keep this up all day, Chihiro. Not that I mind; your blush is really cute," he smiled in amusement. He put his finger down and I started pouting. It wasn't fair… how he could make me feel tingles down my spine… "Aww come on, I was just teasing," he ruffled my hair, messing it up. I glared at him to his amusement and I returned to the room, slamming the door in Haku's face. "Oww… my nose…" he complained. I threw my pillow in his face in revolt.

He caught it easily and threw it back at me, taking me by surprise. I stuck my tongue out at him and hid under the covers, deciding to get at least 1 point against him. Losing 3-0 was pretty embarrassing. "Chihiro~ I'm bored~" he said in a sing-song voice, making me snort. Out of the blue, I felt ticklish on my stomach and realized instantly that it was Haku's doing. I tried pushing his hands away but they were too strong. I was laughing so hard and begged him to stop. "Please… haha… stop… it's… hahahaha…" I didn't finish but he stopped. "Thought you could get the last point? You're cute, Chihiro," he smirked widely. I could feel a blush coming on again, and tried fighting against it in vain. "I. Give. Up," I declared, punching him in the chest just to vent my frustration. "Oww…" I complained. His chest was so hard.

"Come on," he said and dragged me out of the room, then outside of the cottage without waiting for my reply. Once we were outside, he propped me on his back and shed his human skin, shooting up into the sky at an incredible speed. I held on tightly to his horns, though I was completely thrilled by the wind.

* * *

I flung myself on the bed, and after a while decided to go take a bath to relax for a while. It had been a tiring day playing with stupid Haku. I smiled at the thought of him, but quickly slapped myself out of my silly trance. I walked into one of the rooms in the seemingly small cottage with a huge interior to find the tub and quickly filled it with warm water before returning to the room to grab my towel and clothes.

After locking the door firmly, I stepped slowly into the tub, feeling the warm water caress my toes, then my knees, and finally I was lying down comfortably in it. I loved baths; I could finally have some time to myself. Soaking myself in paradise, I took the shampoo and started scrubbing my head and massaging my temples. A sigh escaped my lips and I closed my eyes as I scrubbed my head. I could almost feel a comfortable breeze blow against me, and a picture of a beautiful beach came into my mind. How nice… There was a family of 3 there… The kid looked pretty familiar somehow... I opened my eyes abruptly, a bad feeling stirring up in my gut. Something told me I really didn't want to see that.

I lay there for a while more and closed my eyes, feeling the tension in my muscles completely relax and loosen. After a while, I opened my eyes and immediately realized I was at a beach; the same one that I saw. I was standing at the shore, looking at the parents who looked strangely like mine go into the treacherous waters. The kid was standing at a distance away from the shore, and she seemed to be shouting to her parents, but it was inaudible over here. I stared at her mouth, trying hard to lip-read what she was saying.

_It's high tide. _I spun around to stop her parents, but a sudden scream stunned me. I looked and saw her parents falling in the water and being carried away by the strong current. "Stay there, honey! We'll be back soon!" her mom shouted, and she obeyed, but for some reason I knew. _They wouldn't come back. Not alive anyway._ I went in after them, but as I walked, a sudden drop in the ground made me fall into the waters abruptly. I struggled to paddle to keep afloat, but my legs refused to move. Before my head went under, I took one last look at the girl, and my terrified expression was reflected in hers.

I woke up with a start. I started coughing; I had dozed off and was now painfully trying to get the water out of my nose. My pulse began to accelerate all at once when it dawned on me: The girl… that was… me… I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out. I was starting to pant, and soon it came out in short breaths and I struggled to breathe. Crap, I was hyperventilating. I struggled to take long breaths to calm myself down. The water in the tub was now cold, and it seemed to be seeping into my veins, making my blood freeze as I felt the color drain from my face. I hurriedly got out and put on my clothes, not bothering to dry myself first, which got my clothes soaked. I stumbled out the door, still hyperventilating. Tears were forming in my eyes as I remembered that vividly horrible memory.

_Stop… Stop… Stop..!_ I let out ragged breaths which was all I could hear, other than my ever accelerating pulse. Each time I closed my eyes, the scene replayed all over again. _I remembered. _

"Chihiro..? Chihiro!"

At the sound of Haku's voice, I froze. "What's wrong? You look pale," he asked in concern. I shook my head and shrugged his hands off. I feigned a tiny smile as I pretended to rub my eyes to get the tears out. "N-Nothing... Everything's fine... Yeah… it's just I think… I hit my elbow too hard… when I was getting out of the tub… hehe…" I stammered nervously, quickly finishing off and rubbed my elbow gently, in an effort to keep the act up. He eyed me suspiciously. "Are you sure..? You were hyperventilating, Chihiro," he pointed out in concern. I quickly smiled and waved him off, and started for my room, clenching my fists hard to stop them from shaking. "Chihiro, why are you so wet? Go dry up or you'll catch a cold," I paused momentarily when Mom came in front of me holding up the laundry. I gave her a curt nod before brushing past her into the room.

The minute I reached the safety of my room, I closed the door and my knees gave way under me. I landed on the ground with a thud, staring ahead of me blankly. How could I have forgotten..? No, why did I have to remember? Of all things, why did it have to be that?! Oh… right… I guess I would never be able to erase my sin. I had finally lost that memory, and now, I was back in hell. I hit the ground in agitation, this time, my tears falling without resistance. Why can't my life be normal? I cursed and cursed in my head and sat there motionlessly, the lone sound of my breathing filling the silent room.

A knock came on my door. "Chihiro, come on out for dinner," Dad called. My heart twisted with the immense and overwhelming guilt. "Chihiro, what are you doing in there? Come out!" Dad called again. "Sorry… I'm not hungry…" My voice was soft and raspy. "You okay, hon?" he asked. I nodded, forgetting that he couldn't see me. "Yeah… Go get your dinner," I replied hesitantly. "Okay fine. Love you," he called out as his footsteps became softer and softer. _Love you._ I groaned in frustration and knocked my head against the door repeatedly. I didn't deserve it. At least, not after what I had done.

* * *

[Haku's P.O.V]

Chihiro was acting strangely. It's been 2 days, but she never left her room. She didn't even open up when her parents yelled at her to open up. Using the spare key from Zeniba didn't work either; she had managed to jam the door with something so we couldn't get in. Zeniba stopped me from forcefully breaking in though, which made me all the more antsy. Something was up, for sure. And I had a bad feeling Hades had to do with it…

It was late, but I was still pacing the floor outside with Zeniba sitting and watching me. Hades couldn't have used mind control, so that was out. Hypnotism? Nah, that was too low, even for the likes of him. I continued with my mental debate till Zeniba cleared her throat loudly, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Now, Haku. Please be more patient. You know getting anxious doesn't help anything, especially for a level-headed dragon like you." Zeniba lectured, motioning for me to sit down across her. I fidgeted about impatiently. "Both you and I know that Chihiro must have recovered her memory, some way or another. It's too obvious to deny," I started. "Yes yes, I know, Haku. But you can't expect Chihiro to be happy about it, can you? There's a reason why Hades chose her, right? And I think she just needs some time alone for now."

The image of Chihiro in the Abyss of Hell resurfaced in my head. Yes, I knew the energy that had been emitted from her. The dark energy was repulsively strong. Was... this how she behaved the past 4 years when I wasn't with her..? "But, what are we going to do? Just sit and wait while Chihiro forces herself to death inside her room? She's hasn't eaten anything in 2 days!" I insisted, getting antsy. Zeniba's calm composure remained, though I could tell from her eyes that she, too, was getting increasingly concerned about Chihiro's state. "Well, now that Chihiro's actually regained her memories, or maybe some of them— we still don't know what she's remembered yet— I think we can agree that our main goal now would be to keep Hades from getting to her, yes?" she quipped. I nodded slowly and understood. Worrying about how she got her memories wouldn't help very much now. "Haku, you're not to blame for her current predicament, do you understand?" It was scary how she knew my thoughts. "I know you stayed at the bathhouse not just for a mere compensation. You wanted to protect Kamaji and Lin and the other workers from my sister's wrath; who knows what snapped in her head ever since she got beaten by my dear granddaughter," she chuckled, patting me on the shoulder gently. I briefly remembered Chihiro's triumphant victory after winning Yubaba to go back home with her parents.

"Okay, but what about the current Chihiro? You know very well that she can't last much longer in there," I pointed out. Just as Zeniba was about to respond, I heard a soft rush of water. What was that? A muffled scream came from Chihiro's room and I rushed towards it, quickly noticing the water that was spilling out from under the door. Zeniba nodded to me and I quickly muttered a quick spell under my breath and burst the door open.

* * *

[Chihiro's P.O.V]

I didn't have any appetite the past few days, nor did I get any good sleep. I needed my sleeping pills again, though I didn't appreciate closing my eyes anymore anyway. It was just like before. Closing my eyes meant having to watch that horrifying scene like it was yesterday. I lay on my bed, too tired to do anything. It must have been the lack of food. I closed my eyes and my arms fell limply at my sides.

..? I felt my sheets. They were damp. I sat up and looked around. The sheets were soaking up water quickly and it was near my butt, though I was sure I wasn't actually peeing on the bed. My eyes fell on my hands and I blinked in confusion as I saw the water spreading around them. I raised it slightly to see water falling from them. What… What the hell?! I quickly got off the bed to try stopping the water from my hand. I raised my right palm towards me and ended up getting myself wet. "Arrgh..!" I groaned in annoyance. A wave of dizziness came over me but I slapped myself awake. Too bad I forgot about the water gun that was literally in my hand. Now my clothes and part of my hair were soaked. "Aaahhh!" I cried out as I slipped and fell on the ground, getting my butt wet as well.

The door magically burst open and Haku stood there, Zeniba following behind. Haku looked at the wet floor before his eyes landed on me, his jade green ones piercing through mine. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. He hastily made his way over to me and took my hands in his. "In the name of the water within thee, cease." Almost instantly, the water stopped springing from them, and I let go of the breath I'd been holding subconsciously. I inclined my head to thank Haku, but the movement sent a fresh wave of dizziness and I staggered forwards into Haku. "Oh man, Chihiro," he cussed under his breath as he placed his hand on my forehead. I pushed him away and tried standing up, but the abrupt movement made my world whirl around me and I collapsed right back into Haku's arms, who set me on the bed. "Don't move," he ordered. "Go… go away… leave me… alone…" I barely managed out in short, raspy breaths. With that, I lost all consciousness.

* * *

I woke up and found a damp towel lying on my forehead. I was nicely tucked in bed and light was streaming in from the window. I squinted my eyes at the shockingly bright light. The door opened and I tilted my head to the right to see Haku coming over. I thought I'd locked the door? I even put a chair there to jam it… Where's that chair..? I tried sitting up but it seemed I lacked the energy to do so. "Stay there," he ordered as he took the towel off of me and dipped it into the bucket lying by my bedside before putting it on again. "You have a very high fever. You idiot, why didn't you eat anything?! You've been out for 2 days already," he chided.

I tried getting up again, but this time he forced me down. "I said, don't move," he repeated. I frowned. "Don't tell me what to do. Leave me alone," I replied, which stunned him for a moment, but he showed it for a mere split second before hardening his expression again. "If I did, you'd be in much worse condition, and the cottage would be flooded," he retorted. I looked down at my hand. What was the deal with the water? "I'll leave the explanation of the water incident to Zeniba, but for now, I want to ask you. What have you remembered?"

I looked out the window, unwilling to meet his piercing yet enchanting gaze. He always managed to hit it right on the dot. "Nothing," I lied, knowing it was meaningless to. It was obvious. "You know that you're wasting time lying, Chihiro. It's obvious that you did, or you wouldn't have had a sudden change of personality," he pressed. "What's going on?" he asked in a gentler tone. "It's nothing. Don't bother, Haku," I deadpanned. "Chihiro, why won't you just tell me?"

"I..." I wanted to tell him, I wanted to just pour everything out to him, but the words just couldn't come out. Did I blame him for not being there when I had needed him most? "Chihiro… please… don't be like this… Seeing you like that is torturous enough for me, and this is taking its toll on your parents as well," he pleaded. I flinched at the mere mention of my parents. A tear slid down my cheek and I turned away from him. "Sorry… I just don't deserve your concern either…" I muttered. The deathly silence in the room, the loneliness I felt, the key to my heart that I threw away, the huge ball of fire in the sky reminding me about the living hell I was in, everything. Everything has gone back to the way they were before.

* * *

A/N: Like the 'fluff-ish' part in the beginning? Man I'm like totally going on emo-mode for my stories ): Please don't hate me! I'll be sad )': Hopefully the dialogue makes up for it ^^ Anyway thanks for reading guys and I'll be updating soon!~ Oh and before I forget, please leave some reviews! Please tell me if the story's too draggy or rushed or anything! And is it too much of the changing of the point of views? OMG so much on my mind arrghh but nevertheless, your reviews and support always make my day and every day on my phone I'm checking my email to see if I got any haha I know I sound desperate but yeah… I just love reviews so much :D hehe thank you! (: God bless! And thanks for your reviews so far! (:

* * *

Chihiro: *blushes*

Haku: Hehe there's my favorite blush~


	13. Merry Christmas Special!

The Lost Spirit: Christmas Special!

A/N: Hello guys! It's my favorite time of the year: Christmas! Yay firstly, merry Christmas to you guys and here's a Christmas special for this story! (: As a Christmas present..? I don't know but uhmm… hopefully you guys enjoy this? :D

I don't like number 13 though cuz' ever since I read my first Mr Midnight book… I got scared and it wrote that number 13 is an unlucky number so I've somehow believed that for a long time. T.T I was only 8 years old! That's why I was feeling poopy when I realized uploading this would mean it being number 13 on the story's chapter list. It was fun writing this Christmas special and I sincerely wish you guys a merry Christmas! (: Right now in Singapore it's 12 midnight on 25th December ^^ HOHOHO~ HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS! \(^o^)/ AND GOD BLESS YOU GUYS~

This is a very special Christmas dialogue for this merry special time of the year!

* * *

Haku: What are you doing to my face? The snow's really cold, Chihiro!

Chihiro: Just wait a little longer! Okay! It's done! *gives him a mirror*

Haku: …

Chihiro: You really do look like Santa Claus now. But something's missing… Where's my present? *beams*

* * *

I was greeted by the chilling winter cold and quickly dove back under my covers, returning to the warm, safe haven there. I rubbed my eyes and was about to go back to sleep when Haku just had to talk. "Hey, Chihiro, wake up," Haku's voice came. I pretended to be sleeping and ignored him. Sighing, he started shaking me to get me up which annoyed me. I flipped the covers off onto his face, making myself vulnerable to the winter breeze again. I quickly grabbed the covers off of Haku and ducked under them again. "It's already noon, get up Chihiro." I shook my head stubbornly. "No way in hell am I getting up. It's too cold!" I whined. Apparently, that fell on deaf ears, because the next thing I knew, Haku was dragging me by the legs off the bed with my blanket still covering me. I landed with a thud on the floor, instantly feeling the freezing floor under my butt.

Frustrated, I took off my covers and started glaring at Haku, which only made him smirk. "You really should do something about your hair before you put on a scary face to try intimidating me." I inclined my head towards the mirror at the other end of the room to see a blank girl staring back at me, with tangled strands of chocolate brown hair sticking out, and soft brown curls fell down the sides of her face messily. Soon, her blank expression turned to one of embarrassment and her cheeks went pink. "Go wash up. You're the one who begged me last night to go Christmas shopping with you, remember?" He raised an eyebrow at me before closing the door behind him. I sat there blankly for a while before I slapped myself. Today was Christmas Eve! I groaned and scrambled to my feet to brush my screwed up hair, but not before wrapping my precious blanket around me. Ahh… the cold...

* * *

"Yay~ it's finally Christmas!" I said somewhat enthusiastically with a yawn as we strolled down the streets just across the road from a huge shopping mall, where people were busy doing their last-minute Christmas shopping. There were signboards everywhere indicating some Christmas offers and free Christmas gifts. Haku had flown us back to the human world and even in my excitement, I was still wary about the people around us. I didn't think anybody who knew me would appreciate seeing me now since I was supposed to be dead. Haku was walking beside me, looking a little annoyed since it was so crowded and he had been knocked into a couple of times already. I smirked at him and he soon caught me doing that, and responded by pulling the right side of my earmuff and slapping it against my head. I narrowed my eyes at him in annoyance, and he simply smirked right back. "So… how does the Spirit World actually celebrate Christmas?" I asked. "It's almost the same, actually. All the workers get the day off on Christmas day as a rule so that employers don't exploit their workers," he replied. Yubaba surfaced in my mind. "So what's different?" I quipped. A frown crossed his face as he searched for the right words. "Well… for starters… umm… we don't have Santa Claus or reindeers…"

"I see one already," I grinned and poked at his red nose.

He rolled his eyes and flicked mine before continuing. "And we don't go decking the halls-"

"It's Christmas caroling, smart guy," I mocked teasingly at his cute mistake. Again, it earned me a glare, which I returned with wide smirk. Then he basically raised his hand and wiped it across my face to wipe my smirk off, which succeeded, though I replaced it with a glare.

"Okay, Mr Grumpy, let's split up and we'll meet back at the fountain over there after 4 hours." I pointed to the fountain that had a huge Christmas tree just beside it, with the decorative lights twinkling in all their glory even in the daytime. Without waiting for his reply, I patted his back, before taking off, careful to avoid the incoming stampede of more people.

After I was a safe distance away from where we separated, I secretly took a notepad out of my coat pocket and looked through the list of people whose presents would be buying. I checked my wallet. A budget of $350. Not too bad for my piggy bank eh. I walked down the streets, checking for any suitable presents. I looked through the small shops and found a candy shop. And I knew who would absolutely love candy. I went in and looked around for sweets that were small enough for them as a Christmas treat, and I found my favorite brand of candy: Sticky! (A/N: If you don't know what Stickies are, they're really, really good and here's a link to see what they look like haha buy them! They're so good! . /) I decided on the rainbow rock flavor since I hadn't really tasted their star-shaped snacks before and it was a nice flavor.

After I looked walked around and didn't find anything interesting, I crossed the road towards the shopping mall. The place was even more crowded than before and traffic was basically really slow. I started getting worried about being able to buy everything in time. As I did some window shopping, something shiny in the store caught my eye. I stepped in and the pretty brooch came into view, looking it over and finding it quite matching for Yubaba's usual outfit. I didn't intend on buying another one for Zeniba though. I looked around the shop and found some knitting supplies and some yarn. I decided purple for the yarn, since Zeniba seemed to like that color.

Walking out of the store, I continued my shopping spree and quickly found other items: A bracelet and matching necklace for Lin, a hamster toy for Bo, a seashell anklet for Mom, some fishing rod for Dad which happened to cost me a lot, and a new kettle for Kamaji to replace his old one. I had even prepared a surprise for Aunt Sheryl and Uncle Jeremy, and no, I hadn't forgotten them, or what they did, for the record. My hands were full with shopping bags and I spotted a seating area nearby. I quickly sat down to rest for a bit. Approximately 3.5 hours had gone by; what should I get for Haku? I'd walked everywhere around the mall and just couldn't find something that could suit him…

As I sat down to think, Haku came by. "Time's almost up, darl', and I'm done with my shopping." I snapped my head up and my eyes met his deep green ones. Almost instantly, my pulse started to accelerate and I looked away, starting to panic at the same time. "You're not done yet?" he asked as he eyed the number of bags I was carrying. I stared back at his hands to see him carrying only 3 bags. "Well… I've already gone over everything in the mall…" I continued, and then suddenly it hit me. I sprang up and shouted "Eureka!" before running off, leaving Haku behind with all the bags, which made people's heads swivel in my direction with weird stares directed at me.

Man, Haku's going to be so stumped when he sees his present.

* * *

After I dropped off my present on Aunt Sheryl's doorstep, wishing I could be a fly on the wall when they opened it, Haku and I went home, the whole time with me grinning silly to myself. "You've lost it," Haku muttered as we opened the door while I jumped up and down excitedly. I accidentally hit my head jumping, and I flushed in embarrassment while rubbing my poor head. I turned on my heel towards my room and closed it the minute I got in. I continued grinning and plopped myself on the bed and pushed my head down, accidentally hitting my head on the wall. "Ouch!" I muttered, rubbing my head. I quickly took out the notebook I bought and started my work. I hummed to myself as I imagined Haku's reaction when he got his present the next day.

* * *

I woke up with a small start and realized I was on the bed. I was confused; the last thing I remembered was doing up the presents… "OH CRAP!" I shouted, immediately regretting it when I realized the others were still sleeping. Within 5 seconds, Haku's head popped into the room and I quickly shooed him out. 5 seconds, huh. A new record. I quickly got to work to finish wrapping up the presents and preparing some others. By the time I had finished, I was already ready to go back to sleep when someone knocked on the door. "Chihiro, darling, what are you doing in there? It's already noon and you promised to help me and Zeniba with the food, especially the turkey, remember?" Mom asked through the door. "Oh, right. I'm coming," I replied. As I stepped out, I locked the door before closing it behind me, and then jogged slowly over to the kitchen where Granny and Mom were preparing the food.

* * *

"Mmm… the turkey smells so good!" I commented, feeling my stomach about to whine soon. "Well, what can I say? My granddaughter takes after me! Great job, Chihiro darling!" Granny remarked happily. I smiled shyly at her. "Well, it's about time for them to be coming over for our Christmas dinner soon," Mom said while laying out the table. "There're others coming too? Who?" I asked. As if on cue, someone was knocking on the door. She was already shouting with excitement on the other end, it was easy to guess who it was. I carefully stayed on the other side of the door in case she swung the door too hard and hit me squarely on the nose. A cold gush of wind along with Lin's noise greeted me the instant the door was opened. "It's so cold out here! Man, let me in already. Oh hi Chihiro! Merry Christmas!" Lin yelled. I winced and rubbed my ears slowly. "Oww… Lin, I think you can be heard all the way at the other end of the Spirit World," I complained. She hugged me tightly and I hugged her back. I missed her so much.

"Well, if it isn't my granddaughter." I lightened up at the sound of his voice. "Kamaji! I've missed you!" I proceeded to skip over to him and hugged him. "Wow I've never been so close to you before since you're always so busy when I see you at the bathhouse," I commented excitedly. He chuckled and ruffled my hair before stepping into the house with Lin to avoid the winter cold. A hamster and a small bird lifting it came into the house next. "Bo! You made it after all!" I lifted my finger to stroke him gently in which he squeaked in happiness. Apparently no one else was outside. So Yubaba didn't come… but I couldn't say I was exactly sad that she didn't come.

Soon, we were all settled at the table, digging in to the sumptuous dinner that had been prepared for all of us. It was a very lighthearted dinner, and we were still talking in our seats even after we were long finished with the food. While Mom and Zeniba put away the dishes, the rest of us started exchanging Christmas presents. I always hit the ceiling from jumping in anticipation. I started for my room to get the presents out, but when I tried the door, it wouldn't budge. What..? Oh, right. I hit my forehead hard. How stupid could I get? I didn't want people going into my room, but locking the door from the inside was plain stupid. I groaned and asked Zeniba for the spare keys.

* * *

"Merry Christmas, everyone!" I exclaimed, gleefully handing out the presents to Kamaji, Bo, Lin, Zeniba and my parents. "Wow thanks, Chihiro! This is beautiful!" Lin threw her arms at me, pulling me into yet another hug. Boy did she like hugs. "I'm glad you liked it," I smiled. She handed me my present, and I carefully undid the pretty wrapping. A beautiful necklace lay in the small gift box. "Thanks Lin, it's beautiful!" I grinned and hugged her. "No problem. I guess us sisters do think alike huh?" she grinned.

Kamaji got a nice surprise when he saw his new kettle and thanked me before handing me my present: A pretty floral pouch. "Thanks Kamaji!" I grinned and hugged him. He chuckled, glad that I liked it. I then handed him the candy for the soot balls with delight. Bo's present was very sweet. He gave me a Christmas card, in which he drew both of us playing happily together in the snow with a Christmas tree by our side and a small note. He also handed me Yubaba's Christmas present. That was unexpected; Yubaba didn't seem to like me very much. Oh well. She had given me a pretty purple hair clip, reminding me of the purple hair tie I received from Zeniba. "Here's your present and your Mom's too, Bo," I smiled as his face brightened up considerably seeing the cute toy I got him. "It's perfect, Chihiro! Thanks!"

Dad squeezed me so hard upon seeing his brand new fishing rod; I could have died then and there if it weren't for Mom. She was surprised seeing the seashell anklet I made for her, and she kissed me on the forehead, thanking me. Then, both of them proceeded to give me my present. "Go on, open it," she urged in anticipation. I undid the wrapping and found a musical box in it. I opened it and a pretty girl danced about in it. What caught my attention was the sweet melody that filled my ears. "It's your lullaby, recorded by both of us together," Mom beamed proudly. "Just… uh… excuse my vocals for a bit. I haven't been singing for a long while since my days in high school…" Dad remarked. I chuckled and pulled them both into a family hug. "Thanks Mom, thanks Dad!"

Handing Zeniba my handiwork, she examined it and a satisfied smile hung on her face. "Well, it seems all the practice my granddaughter did paid off." I smiled, receiving her present courteously. It was a hand-knitted coat, beautifully designed. "Granny, is this cashmere?!" I almost yelled in shock. She chuckled lightly. "You're welcome. I'm glad you like it."

Saving the best for last, I cleared my throat behind Haku who was hiding in a corner after handing everyone their presents. "Go away, Lin, I'll do it later," he complained moodily. I snickered to myself and used my index fingers, trailing them down his back. He jumped, obviously startled and tickled. "Merry Christmas, dragon boy," I tried in my best 'Lin' voice. He held back a snort and laughed along with me. We handed each other's presents as if it were a business deal. "Open yours first," I insisted. I could not miss this moment. I watched his face intently as he opened the present. "Chihiro, stop constipating," he commented. I rolled my eyes and his expression was indescribable. It was a mix of shock and annoyance and happiness at the same time.

It took all the self-control I could muster to not burst out laughing. "Hah. Funny. Seriously, Chihiro?" He held out the book titled "Christmas Basics for Idiots" and I doubled over laughing. Everyone shot us weird glances and Lin jumped over to see what was happening. "You go girl!" she shouted, laughing with me.

* * *

[Haku's P.O.V]

It was late and it seemed like I was the only one awake. Everyone had left, even Lin, and it was a dramatic good-bye between her and Chihiro. I rolled my eyes thinking back on her teary yet threatening look at me, reminding me to bring Chihiro to the bathhouse to visit them soon. I looked over the present Chihiro had given me, rolling my eyes at the title. I opened the notebook, and a letter fell out. I picked it up, but small pictures on the top right-hand corner of the notebook caught my eye. A magnificent dragon was drawn there, and I checked the other pages to see other pictures as well. I flipped the pages, my eyes focused on the short animation of me transforming into a human with a Santa hat on and ending with a 'Merry Christmas' wish from a drawn-out Chihiro. Finding myself grinning and my heart beating with joy, I opened up the carefully sealed envelope to read the letter in it. The words were all written with extra caution and I could tell she had put in a lot of effort into it.

_Dear Haku,_

_Merry Christmas! I didn't have the courage to tell you in the face so I decided to write a letter to you. I hope you like the notebook! But anyway, other than wishing you a Merry Christmas, I want to thank you for everything you've done for me this year. Kohaku River, I made a vow to confess this to you before the end of the year. The truth is, I really like you and if you don't return the same feelings, I understand. Merry Christmas, my beloved dragon. _

_Best wishes,_

_Chihiro _

My heart did a huge somersault reading her letter. A wry smile appeared on my face. She always had this amazing way of making me feel this way. The tingle in my stomach and the heat that would always start surrounding me when she was close. I looked at the Christmas present I was supposed to give her. I still hadn't collected the courage to give it to her… I had no idea as to whether she would accept it. Sighing, I left my room and walked towards the living room. A sigh came from Chihiro who was standing by the window, arms crossed and looking out blankly.

* * *

[Chihiro's P.O.V]

I gazed out the window at the moon, sighing. Haku was probably asleep, but had he seen my present? Had he read the letter? Was it too mushy? Did he like the present? I massaged my temples to calm my nerves and took in deep, long breaths to steady myself. It was no use worrying about it now; I already gave it to him. Unless… I sneak into his room and remove the letter before he sees it! A brief smile hung on my face before it turned into a pout. Someone cleared his throat behind me and I jumped, taken by surprise. I whirled around to see Haku standing there, a paper bag in his hand. He looked at where I was staring and seemed as surprised as I was.

"Come here." He motioned me towards him with his hand. I walked over and watched as he inhaled deeply and took out a gift box from it. "I didn't have time to give it to you earlier on…" he said. "Merry Christmas, Chihiro."

I opened up the gift box carefully and peered into it. A cute stuffed teddy sat in it comfortably, its warm smile greeting me. In the middle of it, 'Perfect Loveliness' was sewn on with dark green thread, which reminded me of Haku's eyes. It wore a lovely Santa hat on its head and on its right petite paw, a beautiful ring adorned it.

Haku removed the ring from its paw and I met the enchanting eyes of his, causing me to blush and smile bashfully, my eyes darting away towards the floor in front. "Look at me, Chihiro," he said. I pretended not to hear him, but his hand forced me to look at him in the eye. "Do you, Ogino Chihiro…" In my mind I was already getting the "I do" part ready. I was now 15, and marriage was a little too quick, but if it was Haku then… "Chihiro, what are you doing?" Haku asked in amusement. My eyes fluttered open, and I stared at him in confusion. "What?" I asked. Haku simply smirked and laughed. "Do you really want me to propose to you that badly?"

The heat spread from my cheeks to the tip of my ears. "W-What?! Who said anything about marrying you?!" I blurted out in embarrassment. He cocked his eyebrow at me as if I were stupid. "You were repeating "I do" loudly when I hadn't even finished speaking yet."

Oh how I wished I knew how to teleport. This is so embarrassing! I looked away from him, too embarrassed to look at him now. "You know, I wouldn't think about marriage now since you're only 15 years old." Those words actually stung, surprisingly. What was I thinking?

"Hey, I'm not finished, Chihiro," he continued, taking my chin and forcing me to look at him. He slowly took the ring and placed it on my ring finger. "It's a perfect fit," he commented lightly. I pulled my hand away, the ring now on it, but he held on firmly. "Don't take that ring off. It's something to tie you down to me," he said as he looked away, his ears slowly turning a light shade of pink. "…What..?" I heard myself suddenly ask.

Haku fidgeted about uncomfortably, probably because of his shyness. "It's a… …" he mumbled to himself, suddenly looking away. "What was that?"

"Something like a promise ring. There. I said it."

I blushed along with him now, and I was sure that our faces were the same shade of red by now. "I thought you said you didn't want to marry me?" I asked quietly. "Yeah, that's why I'm tying you down with this in case you change your mind in the future."

"I won't change my mind ever!" I blurted out. Upon realizing my words, I mentally slapped myself. Haku grinned and planted a tender kiss on my forehead. "You're cute when you blush, Chihiro," he remarked, poking my cheek lightly. I faked a frown and squeezed his in return.

"Did you see my letter..?" I asked shyly, slowly becoming more and more self-conscious. He nodded and my eyes darted away. "You know, they haven't removed the mistletoe up there yet," he stated randomly, pointing to the ceiling. My eyes followed his finger to see the mistletoe still hanging from the ceiling daintily. Before I could ask about his random outburst, both his hands were on my cheeks and his face were now inches away from mine.

He slowly inched closer and closer, and I closed my eyes slowly. His lips made contact with mine and the gentle kiss was enough to make my insides flip multiple times. I put my hands around his back and he pulled us closer, deepening the kiss. When he finally broke away, my face was hot and completely flushed. He smiled, seeing my flustered self, though the unmistakable shade of pink tinted the tip of his ears. "Now you're sure of my feelings?" he checked. I nodded, my eyes still wide open staring at him, not recovered from the impact of his kiss yet.

The snow outside fell romantically as he chuckled and pulled me close again. My first Christmas together with my dragon.

* * *

[Epilogue~]

"Jeremy, did you leave this package outside?" Sheryl called to her busy husband who was cleaning up the place, getting the house clean and ready for the guests who were to come that afternoon. "No, what package?" he asked, dropping the cloth in his hand and going over to where his wife stood. "This." She handed the small package to him, the envelope on top unopened. "Could it be from Igarashi-san next door?" he suggested. Sheryl shook her head. "No, I don't think so, since you two are always at logger-heads whenever his wretched dog pees on our front yard."

Tired of guessing, Jeremy opened up the envelope and read it aloud.

_Merry Christmas, Aunt Sheryl, Uncle Jeremy! _

_How are you guys? I haven't seen you in a long time. I'm doing fine where I am now, and I trust you are as well, indulging in the free money you got out of my inheritance. And yes, I know your true motives for being my guardians. But even though I'm no longer by your side, I promise to repay you for being such great guardians to me for those 4 years. You may not believe that I actually wrote this card, but I assure you, this was personally and carefully hand-written in all my sincerity to you. Anyway, merry Christmas and I wish you a happy new year I'll be watching over you… now and forever._

_With love and thanks, _

_Ogino Chihiro _

Sheryl, in all her shock, ripped open the package, revealing a cute toy car that would appeal to any 4-year-old child, the only thing that would not being the bloodied, body of a girl crushed under it. The bitter winter breeze nipped at their bare skins, and it was almost as if they could hear the silent wishes of their deceased niece through the wind.

* * *

A/N: This is by far the longest chapter with the most fluff (: Yay Haku's and Chihiro's first kiss! I decided to get back at Aunt Sheryl and Uncle Jeremy here since I got some reviews about them, and I think I like creepy Chihiro with the dark aura around her and all…

I hope you enjoyed this Christmas special as much as I did (: Merry Christmas and most importantly, God bless you as you enjoy this special holiday with your family and friends!

By the way, if you read my other story, you'd find this special similar, but they're not the same. The specials are more or less the same, but the setting and story background is different for the two stories, hence there are some changes to the story. It's like half minor, half majorly edited, so yeah. And I'll upload the next chapter in 2 days yea (:

P.S. On this special day I believe it's the season for blessing each other as well, so I want to appeal to you guys to keep the families of the victims of the recent Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting in your prayers. It really breaks one's heart to see the innocent lives of such bright, lovely young children gone so miserably, and the heartbreak of the families involved must be painfully unbearable. Please keep them in your prayers and God bless!

* * *

Haku: No presents for naughty children.

Chihiro: But I've been good this year… *pouts*

Haku: If you kiss me I'll reconsider.

Chihiro: Bad boys don't get kisses either.


	14. Puppet

The Lost Spirit: Puppet

A/N: Hello guys! Since it's still the cold season for many countries that I know of (which are not a lot, for the record), here's a cliché dialogue! It's really cliché but it's still cute! (:

Chihiro: Yikes, it's cold…

Haku: *wraps arms around Chihiro* feel better?

* * *

I tossed and turned about on the bed, trying to shield my eyes from the blinding glare of the sun. I was basically under house-arrest in my room, stuck in the silence that surrounded me, leaving me vulnerable to thoughts. Disturbing thoughts. Thankfully, my parents didn't come in at all to check on me since until now my fever hasn't gone down. "Serves you right," Haku had scoffed at me. I rolled my eyes and ducked under the covers to escape the light. Well, looking on the bright side, now playing the silent game was much easier since I was winning practically everyone in this cottage. Guilt was now consuming me whole thinking about how I had treated everyone. Peeping out of the window, looking out at the sky where several birds flew freely about got me thinking suddenly. How does it feel like to be free? I didn't want to, nor wouldn't wait around anymore to find out.

I quietly opened the window, which was fortunately big enough for me to sneak out through. The clock hanging on the dull wall showed 9.50am. No-Face would come in to check up on me in 10 minutes. If I want to leave, I better hurry. A rush of exhilaration swept through my entire body as I heard the elegant 'click' of the window lock. I always knew picking locks was a skill that would come in handy. Tiptoeing on the bed, I looked out cautiously, and after being satisfied that there was no one around, with a swift jump, I landed on the soft, prickly grass outside gracefully. With that, my legs started running instinctively, ignoring the low hum in my ears and the splitting migraine that was about to start up.

* * *

[Haku's P.O.V]

"Uh! Uh! Uh!" No-Face cried all of a sudden. I leapt up from the dining table, accidentally spilling the green tea I was sipping. After shooting a brief apologetic glance at Zeniba, I took off for Chihiro's room. "What happened?" I asked a panicked No-Face. His face reflected pure horror and I quickly scanned the room. No Chihiro. The window was open and a small black hair pin lay casually on her bed, with an indentation on the sheets indicating where her petite feet had been. Without a moment's hesitation, I jumped out and my dragon emerged out the window, my senses heightening significantly. Quickly scanning the area, there was still no sight of Chihiro, but I got a hold of her scent that lingered faintly in the air. _Damn it! Where has she gone?!_

She was still sick, so she couldn't have gotten that far, especially since her scent was still lingering in the air. I followed it like a bloodhound, flying as fast as I possibly could. Everything was going past me in a blur and after 3 minutes, her sweet scent tickled my nostrils. _She's nearby._ I looked around, and the sound of panting reached my ears. I followed the source of the sound and easily spotted her. She was bending over, hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. Her pained expression made my heart ache. I quickly returned into my human form and caught up to her. Scooping her up easily, I headed back without a word. She looked up at me in horror, which almost made me growl. Why was she so scared of me?

"Put me down!" she cried. I ignored her, my focus directed at her body temperature. She was getting hotter. My teeth bit down hard on my tongue to stop myself from scolding her right then and there. "Put me down!" she repeated, this time louder. She repeated that time and again, but I kept ignoring her. Finally, she gave up, and apparently decided trying another tactic.

She started kicking like a spoilt brat and pushing me, trying to get herself out of my arms. I would have cast a sleeping spell on her, but trying to stop her from falling off was distracting me. Her body finally succeeded in making contact with the ground with a loud 'thud'. She tried scrambling to her feet to run off again, but I held firmly onto her arm. "Where do you think you're going?" I asked sternly. She tried wrenching her arm out of my grasp, but she was too weak, or I was too strong. "Why are you so adamant in keeping me cooped up in hell? Why won't you just let me go and leave me alone like you did before?!" she pleaded.

I was momentarily stunned by her outburst. What did she mean by that? "Well, why are you so adamant in giving us the silent treatment? Why won't you just talk to us? We're all with you, Chihiro," I retorted, my tone getting considerably gentler. Chihiro paused and bit her lip, as if considering my words. "I don't deserve it," she replied coldly. This time it was my turn to go crazy. "Whether you deserve it or not is up to _us_ to decide, not you. Don't you get that?"

She remained silent, my words finally sinking in. "Let's go home, Chihiro," I tried again and took her hand, but she refused. Instead, a sudden gust of water hit me right in the gut, and I stumbled backwards. Chihiro's shocked expression was reflected in my face when I saw the water springing from her hand again. I stood up and went closer, but the water continued hitting me, and I hissed in pain. Immediately, I changed into my dragon, but before I could react, a huge vortex of water hit me before I seeped into darkness.

* * *

[Chihiro's P.O.V]

I couldn't believe it. Haku got knocked out because of me. Where had that water stuff come from? I looked down at my hands to see the water springing out again. How had I done that? I just wanted Haku to leave, and I panicked when he changed into his dragon, but I hadn't meant to… I took a step closer to Haku who was now back into his human form lying unconsciously on the ground. Thank goodness he was still breathing. "Sorry…" I whispered as the wind blew the hair out of his face to show off his beautifully carved out facial features. Taking one last look at him, I sprinted off into the distance. I didn't care where my legs were bringing me, just as long as I was out of here.

* * *

[Toranosuke's P.O.V]

"_Return to that goblin's cottage and keep a lookout for the girl. I predict that you'll find her there. Alone. Bring her back to me once you see her." _

Master's words echoed in my head once again, and I shook off the uneasy feeling I felt. Ever since I interacted with that strange girl, I've been experiencing peculiar emotions that I never felt before. Ogino Chihiro. What kind of dark energy could she possess in her bubbly and lively personality? But, Master would only have chosen her for a good reason…

I landed in front of the cottage and shifted into that goblin's form, and in turn, everything around me became annoyingly taller. I entered the cottage, the mess inside reminding me of how I killed him. I always wondered why the other demons could feel satisfied and entertained from something as disgusting as murder. Then again, Master always told me I was different; that I wasn't born a demon. After all, I was a human in my past life, only to be reborn as an accursed demon, hated by every living being and spirit in the universe when Master saved my life. I owed him my life, so I could never complain, nor would I ever. What right did I have? My life belonged to him and him alone.

And now, here I was having outrageous thoughts about helping the girl. The troublesome thing about me was having a much softer heart than the rest of the demons— although I couldn't be sure if they even had a heart— but I was still the most trusted servant of Master. Just before I could settle down into the couch, the ever soft sound of panting came through the open window. In a flash, I was by the window, peeping out to see who it was. From the familiarity of the scent, it could only be that girl. How did she manage to come here? Nevertheless, Master's prediction was correct. I braced myself, prepared to attack already. But when she stood up, the dark pools in her eyes reflected the emptiness and fear in them. However, one more thing stood out to me. Yes… I could already smell the repulsive scent of the dark energy within her.

She was panting hard and now looking around, in realization of where she was. I decided to withhold any form of attack for now and my short legs involuntarily moved towards the door and I involuntarily opened it and involuntarily walking towards her. Yes, you get it. Everything I did was involuntary. I was back to being the grumpy goblin for now.

"Just what are you doing in front of my cottage panting like a sick granny? You're a really pesky kid, girl."

She was having trouble catching her breath, and her legs were shaking. "Hey, kid, you feeling alright?"

* * *

"Thanks," she muttered as I handed her a hot cup of tea, and I settled on the couch beside her. "What's wrong? You weren't so weak the last time I saw you," I asked, my brows furrowing in genuine concern. She shrugged, not interested in answering. Seeing her in this state, I could now understand why Master chose her. "Sorry for bothering you…" she said quietly, fidgeting about uncomfortably in her seat. "Yeah, you better be. I was trying to relax at home and then you come along and ruin my day with your cold attitude," I replied fake grumpily. Her face became even more downcast than before, making me regret my words.

"Uh… I mean… don't worry about it. You should go get some rest in the room, seeing that you really are sick." I led her to the neatly made bedroom and she silently complied and tucked herself in. Just when I was about to leave though, she tucked on my sleeve. "Wait." I turned around and met her dark, innocent eyes. "Can I ask you something..?" she asked. I gave her a brief nod, my expression hardening at her tone.

Instead, she didn't say anything, but showed me her opened palm with water floating gracefully above it. I was stunned. I looked back at her with my jaw dropped. I had not expected her powers to come so soon. "Why?" she asked. I looked at her questioningly, and her eyes darted to her palm then back to me. I understood and heaved a loud sigh.

"I guess that's why you're so tired then. This is your first time using your powers, no?" I confirmed. I couldn't reveal the things I knew about her. She nodded, too exhausted to reply. "From your scent, you're probably not a born spirit, are you?" I asked, faking the confusion that clouded my eyes. She nodded again. "Which means you're from the Abyss of Hell?"

I earned a curt nod for that. "I shall not ask how you were released, since spirits from that place were never allowed to leave. Well, I heard that spirits from the Abyss of Hell would gain their own powers based on the dark energy within them." She simply cocked her eyebrow in puzzlement. I sighed and continued. "Your powers depend on the main source of the dark energy within you, and for you, it means the 'darkest' element in your life is water."

Water slowly filled her eyes at my words. Unable to look at her in the eye further, I excused myself from the room quietly and sunk into the dirty couch outside. I wondered how far she could go with her powers. She was definitely strong. She could already control the water so well for her first time and the dark energy within her proves massive enough… maybe to even beat Master. I sat there blankly and when the moon came up, I knew it was time to go. I couldn't keep Master waiting for too long. I went out the cottage and changed into my true, hideous form. I despised myself for what I was doing to her, but I couldn't afford disobeying Master. I took long, steady breaths and once ready, I charged into the small cottage, cursing in my head when I broke parts of the walls and ceiling. Chihiro rushed out of the room, and at the sight of me, she shrunk back in fear, making me feel guilt, but I shoved it aside and charged at her.

* * *

[Chihiro's P.O.V]

I woke up to darkness everywhere surrounding me. Standing up, I wondered what kind of surface I was standing on. This place was oddly familiar… "Good job, Toranosuke," a loud voice boomed, its sound echoing through the 'walls' of this place. I daringly took a few steps forward and 2 large silhouettes came into view. I inhaled sharply when I realized the demon was the one that had attacked me back in the goblin's cottage. Wait… then… what happened to the goblin?! I started panicking and my eyes darted around. "Ugh…" I moaned as a terrible migraine started. "Oh?" that same voice remarked in cruel amusement. I inclined my head and looked up to see a tall, dark figure sitting on a 'throne' of some sort, with black flames engulfing the robe that hung comfortably on his body. His piercing red eyes almost seemed to stab right through my being when I looked at them. My eyes quickly shifted away to look at something else, that something else being… well, black stuff everywhere else.

"I see you've regained your consciousness, Ogino Chihiro," he commented with a disgusting smirk on his face. Somehow, his mocking tone and words offended me. This guy was very familiar. I frowned trying to remember. "I see you've forgotten about me," he smirked. "Oh I apologize for my memory loss. Perhaps you're my long-lost dog or something?" I retorted with the same mocking tone he had used. Two could play at this game. His laugh was filled with cruelty and amusement, which made me cringe. "My my, and here I forgot all about your sense of humor. Well, would you like your memories back, Ogino Chihiro?" he asked in a challenging tone, the smirk on his face growing wider with every word he said.

Before I could respond though, he stuck his hand out, extending it a far distance coming toward me. My insides were ringing with alarm and panic rose within me. I shut my eyes, waiting for the impact of his hand, but it never came. Instead, what I heard was a surprised gasp. I opened my eyes slowly to see a large vortex of water shooting out from my hands which were poised in front of me defensively.

The man's eyes were now flashing with shock and partial annoyance, sending multiple chills down my spine. I could feel my legs starting to shake, partly because of the chills, but the other because I could feel my energy being drained quickly. He was now standing up and a huge, dark ball formed above his right hand. He sent it flying towards me, but I stood my ground and with both hands raised towards it, I visualized the vortex becoming bigger and willed it to become so. To my surprise, it worked, though I could feel the energy draining quicker from me. I waited for the impact of the attack, but it never came. I watched as it made contact with my vortex and slowly dissipated into the surrounding darkness.

"I see… your powers have finally surfaced. Not bad for a small girl like you. Who knew?" he cackled. The springing water ceased and it took all my strength not to collapse on the ground. I refused to let him take control of the situation and humiliate me at the same time.

Out of the blue, the demon that attacked me kneeled in front of the man, or giant— whatever he was— and spoke. "Master… if I may." His voice was soothing and gentle, reminding me of Haku's. If I were blind folded, I would have thought he was here to save me.

"Go ahead."

"I suggest allowing Ogino Chihiro to return for now."

This earned him an angry bang on the throne. He cleared his throat and continued. "The dark energy in her is still not enough to befit you, Master. I suggest letting her return so that more dark energy can be collected in her. And, the dark energy collected would be able to help suppress her powers too, so I predict you'll have more fun playing with her at a later time," he continued. The man seemed to be in deep thought. I had to hand it to the demon for his amazing choice of words. "Fine, take her back for me, Toranosuke." Now directing his words to me, he grinned. "Ogino Chihiro, we'll meet again soon."

With a light snap of his fingers, my surroundings faded into a forest, the grass caressing my head as my legs finally lost their capability to support me any longer. Another wave of dizziness and my eyelids drooped all the way down.

* * *

A/N: So… how was it? (: Thanks for the reviews and support! I really appreciate it and thanks again! Please review this story especially if there are any criticisms from it because I would love to hear your opinions on this story and how it can be improved! (: Thanks for reading again and God bless! Till the next chapter haha~


	15. Step into the Past

The Lost Spirit: Step into the Past

A/N: Any of you guys know how it feels to go to bed at say, 11pm at night and only sleep 2 hours later, then wake up 6 hours later? THIS IS SUCKING THE LIFE OUTTA ME; I CAN'T EVEN TAKE A NAP WITHOUT WASTING THE ENTIRE DAY! Don't mind the caps haha I just love my sleep so much. )': Ahh… I kind of feel Chihiro now (this is kind of funny and stupid at the same time if you think about it)… sleeping pills… must… have… sleeping pills…

HAPPY NEW YEAR GUYS! ^^ I hope you have a great year ahead (though mine isn't exactly working out…) and make even better memories with your loved ones too this year! And most of all, God bless you guys even as you embark on the New Year! 2013, here we come! ^^

And here's a dialogue for the New Year! (: Kind of thought of it on the spot, so it's kind of plain, but still cute! To me, at least. :D

* * *

Haku: Happy New Year!

Chihiro: Happy New Year!

Haku: May all your dreams come true!

Chihiro: You too! (:

Haku: That means I get my New Year's kiss?

* * *

[Haku's P.O.V]

I was back at the cottage, thanks to No-Face and Zeniba's help. No-Face was forcefully applying some herbal oil on my insignificant bruises, while Chihiro's parents were about to explode when they found out about what Chihiro did. Zeniba had just placed a spell on the door so that they wouldn't rush out recklessly to find Chihiro, which was exactly what they were trying to do now. "Don't expect me, as a father, to stay and loiter around knowing full well his daughter is in danger!" Akio-san shouted angrily. No-Face was finally done with me and was now going over to calm Akio-san and Yuko-san down.

"Zeniba-san, please tell me what's going on. I have a right as her father to know," Akio-san pleaded while being forced into the chair by his wife. Zeniba patted his shoulder and sighed restlessly. "Chihiro returned from the Abyss of Hell, and the spirits from that accursed place usually gain powers after a while, based on the primary source of the dark energy within them."

"What do you mean?" Akio-san asked impatiently.

"It means, apparently water is the cause of much pain and suffering in her when she was alive. Her powers at this stage are unprecedentedly strong, but seeing her physical condition now, her attacks and defense may be strong, but she won't be able to keep it up for a very long period of time," Zeniba explained in the composed manner she was trying very hard to keep up.

Akio and Yuko seemed to sag after hearing Zeniba's explanation. I got up, ignoring the sharp pain in my stomach where a bruise was stamped on. "You haven't told me yet. What happened to Chihiro in the past?" I demanded. It still stung that water, the element that was the source of energy for my spiritual being, was at the same time the source of Chihiro's pain. Yuko sucked in a sharp, deep breath, answering on behalf of her husband.

"4 years ago, we were playing at the beach and having fun as usual; we often went to the beach to play. We were already packing up to leave, but a picture that Chihiro had taken was suddenly blown away by the wind and landed in the sea, close to shore. She was upset since it was by far her favorite picture, and hence both Akio and I went down to retrieve it, but while walking forward, suddenly there was an abrupt drop which made Akio fall in the water, and I followed, thinking I could help. In the end, we… well… died, but Chihiro remained on the beach because I told her to wait for us…" At this, Yuko-san broke down, completely heartbroken.

As for me, I didn't know what to think. I hadn't been there for her during that time. She was only 10… I punched the wall in frustration. So that was what she meant. _"Why won't you just let me go and leave me alone like you did before?!"_

No-Face tried to stop me, but I growled in response, making him back away. "Now, now, Haku," Zeniba started, but her words fell on deaf ears. I wasn't interested in talking. At least not for now. For now, I needed to get Chihiro back.

"Haku, you're not going anywhere for now. You're injured, for heaven's sake!" Zeniba ordered in an authoritative tone, making me freeze in my tracks. "Then what do you want me to do?! Leave her alone the way I did 4 years ago? I made a mistake once, and I'm not going to repeat it again!" I shouted in retaliation. Zeniba said nothing, but instead called her bird out, which looked exactly like Yubaba's one. "Go find Chihiro and inform us immediately about her whereabouts once you find her," she ordered. "Now, we wait." The bird flew out the window while No-Face offered me a seat, but I wasn't about to wait like the rest of them. I started for the door, muttering some words beneath my breath to remove the spell over it. I tried the door, but it wouldn't budge. I tried again. It still wouldn't budge. I narrowed my eyes angrily at the old witch who heaved a sigh. "Open this door, now, Zeniba. _Please_," I tried being nice, though my tone of voice wasn't exactly pleasant.

She ignored me and shut the windows as well, knowing my next move already. Great. I growled and stormed into Chihiro's room which was full of her scent. Now all I could do was wait.

* * *

[Chihiro's P.O.V]

I weakly opened my eyes to take in the surroundings. I was lying on grass, the mud having already stained my clothes. Trying to haul myself off the grass proved unsuccessful, seeing that I had apparently lost all of my strength. After a few more failed attempts at this, I gave up and looked up at the empty sky, where no stars shone, with only the lone moon hanging up there. The place was covered in thick greenery and bushes, so much so I was convinced no one would be able to find me over here. Maybe I could just die here and escape everything… Seeing that it was uncomfortable lying on my ponytail, I removed the hair tie, releasing the pressure from my head.

"Anything else you got for me?" I asked aloud, directing the question to a god who may or may not be existent. I held the purple hair tie above me and stared at it. "If you're so magical, then show me something!" I exclaimed in frustration. _'Talking to objects isn't a good sign, Chihiro…'_ I scoffed. Before I could throw the hair tie aside though, it started emitting a dainty purple glow that caught my attention instantly. Staring at it, intrigue and curiosity grew until my vision suddenly filled with black, and a scene played in front of my eyes.

I saw myself—a younger version of myself—stumbling upon a bathhouse, the same one that I'd been to after being released by Hades without my memory. The young girl was venturing about and on a bridge, she leant over the red railings to catch a quick look at a passing train. She turned around though, sensing someone else with her, and there he was. A bewildered, younger Haku stared at her for a while, before blinking back to reality. "You shouldn't be here… Get out of here, now!" his alarmed voice made her curious. "What?"

"It's almost dark. Leave before it gets dark," he continued without a decent explanation. Inside the bathhouse, the lights started to switch on with a dangerous glow. He turned around. "They're lighting the lights. Get out of here. You've got to get across the river. Go! I'll distract them."

The flustered girl then took off down a flight of stairs as the sky grew darker overhead all too quickly while shops lighted up and strange black figures loomed inside as well as on the streets. She wondered what the strange boy's problem was, until fear took over as more and more ghostly figures appeared. Her brisk walk soon turned into a full sprint and she hurried back to where she had left her parents. She shook her father, her voice full of terror and alarm. However, they were only focused on eating and gorging the food that gave off a mouth-watering fragrance. He turned around to look at her, but in place of her beloved father, a fat pig sat in his place. The same went for her mother. _'Those aren't my parents..!'_ I heard her panicked thoughts clearly.

"Mommy!" she screamed amongst the traffic flow of ghosts around her. Unable to stand it any longer, she ran off, narrowly avoiding colliding with one of those scary ghosts around a corner, towards the plain they had crossed before. She ran and ran down the steps, until she entered the presence of water. "Water?!" she shouted in surprise and went back up the stairs with the bottom half of her clothes wet.

My vision went blank all of a sudden as the scene changed. It was dark out and I saw myself—again, my younger self—squatting on the grass with her head ducked in between her knees, fading away. A sudden pair of hands held her shoulders suddenly, and she gasped in shock before coming face to face with that boy from before. _'Haku…'_ I thought to myself, more memories flooding back into my head as I remembered our meeting years back. "Don't be afraid," he said, leaning in slightly, "I just want to help you."

The terrified girl shook her head. "No… no, no!"

"Open your mouth and eat this. You have to eat some food from this world or else you'll disappear," he continued. She struggled, trying to back away and tried to push him away. "No!" Instead of feeling the contact between her hands and his shoulders though, her hands shockingly went through, and the terror and shock in her increased.

Haku, on the other hand, remained completely composed, not very much like the one I knew now, since the last time we had met. Sadness gripped me at the thought of him. "Don't worry; I won't turn you into a pig." The boy pushed the food into her mouth, and she chewed slowly, half-expecting to turn into a pig, or maybe even a cockroach before swallowing, waiting for something to happen. "Chew it, swallow," he encouraged.

"There you go; you're all better. See for yourself," he smiled, and put up his palm, cuing her to place hers against his. The young girl who'd calmed down by now carefully placed her fingertips on his big palm, feeling the solidity of her body and letting that fact comfort her.

I watched silently, trying hard to ignore the fact that my heart was fluttering in my chest. Haku had saved me before. It wasn't hard to guess that I'd worked in the bathhouse for a while following that after the little 'reunion' of sorts with Lin and Kamaji.

My vision blanked again, and this time, I was in Granny's cottage with No-Face and some hamster and a bird that were exercising together on a spinning wheel, stopping after a while to catch their breaths cutely. The rest of us sat at the table, where pastries and snacks were placed. "… …it seems like I met Haku before but that was a long time ago," she said. "That's a good start," Granny smiled approvingly, "once you've met someone, you never really forget them; it just takes a while for your memories to return," she said. _'You have no idea…'_ I thought.

The scene fast-forwarded again, and now they were busy at work with knitting, with Granny guiding everyone along patiently, with occasional encouragements to boost their confidence. No-Face seemed to be having a lot of fun, and he did seem to have quite some potential. Granny then gave the young me who was starting to cry over something a purple hair tie; the same one that I have now. "Use it to tie back your hair," she nodded with a motherly smile. "It's… beautiful!" she exclaimed in wonder. "It'll protect you. It's made from the threads your friends wove together," she said, handing the girl the beautiful hair tie. "Thank you." She removed her dull hair tie and replaced it with the purple hair tie in securing her ponytail. Just then, a strong gust of wind blew by from the outside making the windows clatter with unease. "What good timing; we've got another guest. Would you let him in?" Granny asked endearingly and she complied with a "Sure," and walked to the door, opened it, hoping for it with all her might to be the dragon.

True enough, a mighty dragon stood poised in front of the door, the dragon she loved, and she gasped and rushed forward in happiness. "Haku!" she exclaimed joyfully, nuzzling his snout. "Haku, thank goodness… You're alive! I can't believe it! How did it happen..?"

After bidding Granny goodbye, she got onto Haku's back and they flew off into the calm night sky with the hamster and bird.

The scene seemed to fast-forward itself yet again into the young girl recalling something that had happened. "Haku, listen. I just suddenly remembered something from a long time ago; I think it may help you. Once when I was little, I dropped my shoe into a river, and when I tried to get it back, I fell in. I thought I'd drown, but the water carried me back to shore. It finally came back to me… The river's name was… the Kohaku River. I think that was you… and your real name is, Kohaku River!"

The vision then stopped and I was back in the forest. My heart was thumping loudly against my chest and I wiped the cold sweat that dotted my forehead away as I slowly began to absorb the memories that had been shown to me. My eyes darted to the purple hair tie in my hand, my breaths slowly becoming steadier. Holding it close, I kissed it, smiling. "Thanks," I murmured. _'Home…'_ the thought suddenly crashed into my mind abruptly. I had to go back. I need to tell them. I need to see Haku. Strong waves of determination swept throughout my body and I hauled my body up, but even then, it was no good. My strength was still down for the count. "Dang it! Can anybody hear me? Hello? Anybody there?" I called out in frustration, although I doubted anyone would be here in the middle of an abandoned forest late at night.

Out of the blue, my ears picked up the sound of a squawking bird. I gulped. Hopefully it wasn't a hungry spirit… Crossing my fingers and squeezing my lucky purple charm, I looked in anticipation at the source of the sound. A black crow was flying overhead and had apparently spotted me. It looked like a bird version of Granny somehow. Upon spotting me, it turned to leave. "No, wait! Don't leave me here!" I shouted, though my cry fell on deaf ears. I sighed. "Looks like it's just you and me here for the night, huh?" I said to the hair tie. I rolled my eyes. "You have _got_ to stop talking to inanimate objects, Chihiro."

* * *

The next morning arrived with the gentle light of the Sun shining down on my eyelids. I stirred and rubbed my eyes, sitting up. I looked around and the forest looked more beautiful than ever, with dew sparkling in the sunlight on lush green leaves. The soft chirping of birds and fragrant scent of blooming flowers lifted the corners of my lips into a gentle smile. _'How beautiful…'_ I thought to myself. It'd been a long time since I had such nice thoughts. But then again, they say that it's all in the mind. Seeing that it was such a nice day, I decided to lie down on the soft grass to enjoy the weather. It would be nice to just rest and laze about without having a worry or care for anything in the world. "Ahh…" I sighed contentedly. As the wind blew gently, the leaves rustled.

_Crack._ _'?'_ _Crack, snap._ "Leaves don't snap…" I muttered. Instantly, I got up, poised in a defensive stance, in case of any danger. My ears perked up as the sounds grew louder and louder, till a black figure appeared a distance away. "No-Face?" I asked in disbelief. His eyes fell on me and his once frowning face turned into one of relief and joy. He rushed over and hugged me. "Uh! Uh!" he cried. "I missed you too, No-Face. Let's get back home, shall we?" I smiled and hand in hand, we started the journey back as my newly regained memories once again flooded into my mind.

_'Haku…'_ the wind seemed to whisper ever so softly in my ear.

* * *

A/N: Woohoo I think you guys can expect some fluff in the next chapter as a mini-heads up for the New Year! Have a great New Year and God bless ya! (: Thanks for reading and… review? :D Thanks and till the next chappie~ *HUGZ!*


	16. Together?

The Lost Spirit: Together? 

A/N: Yay the next chapter's arrived~ I'm actually kind of mad at myself for getting distracted since I'm supposed to be finishing the last of my holiday homework… You know what else I don't like other than math? Chinese. And yes, I have to write reflections on this Chinese newspaper article, which sucks… But oh well. I better hurry up since school starts tomorrow, but lessons start on Wednesday so… :) #theartofprocrastination

Although that'll mean risking getting slaughtered by my Mom. :P

Here's the dialogue, and michelle88222, I honestly wrote this down before I found out you actually were a fan hahaha.

* * *

Chihiro: It's so dark in here… Haku, can you find the light switch?

Haku: No need to, cuz ~Baby you light up my world like nobody else~

Chihiro: Oww… I just walked into the wall… *rubs nose* Haku, just turn on the light!

A/N: If there are any violent protests against this (though I don't see why there would be), then please don't speak and forever hold your peace. But for the record, I'm neutral. I'm not a fan, nor am I a hater. ;)

* * *

"Wait… No-Face, are they all really mad at me..?" I asked, afraid of the combined temper of my parents, Granny and Haku all at once. He gave a sheepish tip of the chin. "Uh…" I blew out some air and inhaled to steady my palpitating heartbeat. "Here goes nothing," I muttered as I pressed my ear against the cool wood, hearing only bare silence and meekly reached for the door. Maybe they weren't too angry? But then again, it was always calm before the actual storm brewed. I gulped and opened the door as quietly as I could, tip-toeing in silently like a mouse. But, as I thought, it was no use. In a flash, Haku was in front of me, shooting daggers. I winced and closed my eyes, mentally preparing myself for the scolding of a lifetime that was soon to come. Instead though, I found myself being pulled into his embrace as he squeezed me tightly. "You're alright," he murmured into my hair, and I opened my eyes, blinking in surprise at his reaction. It took me a few seconds to recover before placing my arms around him. "Why aren't you scolding me?" I inquired softly into his clothes, inhaling the scent of mint and fresh dew.

"Do you want me to?" he asked. At that, I shook my head vigorously, sending a few short breaths of laughter out of him. "But I can't guarantee that for your parents," he added. My heart sank. I did not even want to think about what Dad would do.

"Chihiro?"

'_Oh boy…'_ I gulped and pulled away from Haku. "Hey, Dad," I greeted nervously. He returned it with a _don't-give-me-that-nonsense_ look. I glanced at Haku who could only look at me with pity. _'So much for help…'_

"Where were you, young lady? Why did you just sneak out of the cottage like that? You know you're not supposed to be leaving this place! It's for your own safety! Do you know how worried your mother and I were? What on earth were you thinking?" he all but shouted. I could have sworn he had been heard at the other end of the Spirit World. I held my peace. Ever since the beach incident, I'd never been scolded, or if I had been, I never did feel anything. But now, tears started to form in my eyes. "Now, now, Akio, Chihiro looks like she's been through enough, don't you think?" Zeniba breezed in lightly, trying to rid the room of the uncomfortable tension easily. She patted Dad on the shoulders comfortingly, shooting a relieved look at me. I relaxed slightly, offering a weak smile to her, while trying to reel the tears back in. "What she's been through? What about us? We were worried sick last night, dammit!"

"She came back, Akio, and that's what matters. Now, she looks exhausted and everyone is as well. Didn't you say you wanted to go fishing? Or would you prefer resting?" the elderly woman spoke soothingly. Exhaustion seemed to gnaw at his body while seemed to relax slightly, but it was clear he was still mad at me. My eyes tried to look for a comfortable place to stay, and they landed on Mom who was standing quietly at the back. As soon as our eyes met though, she looked away, evidently hurt. Guilt hit me so hard, I was surprised I hadn't collapsed from the weight.

Without another word, Dad returned to the room with Mom, slamming the door loudly in an effort to show his temper. _'Never gets old,'_ I thought sourly. Granny now turned to me. Before she opened her mouth though, I hurriedly bowed. "I'm sorry, Granny. I'm really sorry for what I did. I know what I did was wrong and I'm really sorry!" I apologized hastily, not wanting to hear yet another scolding which was guaranteed to make me cry this time. A pair of large, wrinkled hands with long red nails pulled me up, and just like Haku, she hugged me. "You did what you had to do," she sighed, "I can't say I'm not angry with you either, but the fact that you willingly came back shows that you're sorry, so I'll forgive you."

A tiny smile formed in sincere thanks. "Thanks, Granny. I won't do this again," I promised. She smiled and she gave looked at Haku, apparently hinting at something, though, what, I could not decipher. "Now, you must be tired, girl. Take a bath. You stink as bad as those swamp spirits!" she exclaimed, and I giggled sheepishly.

* * *

I speedily rushed through my shower and threw on clean clothes without drying or brushing my wet hair that fell in thick brown clumps down my back. Nervousness and excitement built up in me as I neared Haku's room. I needed to talk to him so badly, but at the same time, I felt like I was going to puke from all the unnecessary nervousness. I draped the towel over my neck and swallowed my saliva. I was getting too jumpy for my own good. Raising my fist to knock on the door, I closed my eyes to count. '1… 2…3…' Before I could knock though, the door suddenly opened, revealing Haku. Seeing him rendered me speechless. I never realized how handsome he looked before, or how self-conscious I was getting. His finely-honed muscles, his exquisitely beautiful features made me want to puke all the more from the nervousness. My brown orbs seemed to be lost in his unique jade green ones. All of a sudden, I was worried about how I looked and started scolding myself for not brushing my hair or making myself look presentable.

"Um, Chihiro, do you need anything?" he asked. His voice resonated in my mind. It seemed too familiar and too enchanting. "Chihiro?" he asked again. That effectively snapped me out of my thoughts. "Y-Yes?" I stuttered lamely, resisting the urge to smack myself. Hard. "Do you need anything?" he repeated patiently, his eyes never leaving me. I looked away shyly. "U-Um… No… I mean, yes, no, wait. I don't need anything, I just…" I continued blabbering. That was definitely the first time in my life I had spoken like that. How nice it would be if the earth could just swallow me up now… or not. Getting stuck underground didn't seem like a good idea. Maybe teleporting…

Without warning, his hand suddenly grabbed mine and dragged me into his room. I stumbled forwards but his arm wrapped itself around my waist before I could fall, steadying me. "Thanks…" I muttered, aware of my heated cheeks at the contact. "Welcome," he replied, withdrawing his arms. "So, what do you need to talk to me about?" he asked, sitting down on his bed and patting at the spot next to him. I stood and shuffled over to take a seat, but sat further away. He frowned slightly at that, but did not question me. "Well… I think… I remembered some stuff from before."

Instantly, he sprang up and his face was inches away from mine. "Are you okay?" His tense gaze made my heart flutter. _'Stop it, Chihiro! Stop being such a baby!'_

"Yeah… I'm fine… You know, not everything I remember is bad, Haku," I half-mocked. Secretly smiling, I internally cheered. _'Just stay steady!' _

He rolled his eyes and sat down, though this time nearer to me. "So, what did you remember?" His curious tone was cute. "Well… you told me about it before I think, when I begged you to tell me everything. This purple hair tie showed me some pretty good stuff. I think it showed me the things I needed to remember," I smiled and gazed at the hair tie on my wrist. "What did you remember?" Haku asked, placing his hand over mine. His gaze softened.

I inhaled slowly, trying to ignore our touching hands. "I remembered meeting you at the bridge just outside the bathhouse for the first time, how you shooed me off, and how scared I was at that time, finding out my parents had turned into pigs. And then you gave me something to eat before I could disappear. And then the vision skipped to me being in Granny's cottage with No-Face and this hamster and bird," I said, the whole time, Haku nodding with understanding with a tender look in his eyes.

"She said that once I've met someone, I never really forget them; it just takes a while for my memories to return. And then you arrived outside… Were you hurt before that, Haku? Because I saw the young me so relieved to see you alive…"

"Yeah… I was… almost died, but I was fine after that."

My eyes widened, but did not pursue it since it was just going to be a waste of time, seeing that it was all in the past. "Is there anything else?" he asked. "Yes… I remembered something about my pink shoe dropping into some river," I started, seeing something else mix into his eyes that looked like sadness, "but something saved me, and then I remembered. It was you who saved me. And your actual name is Kohaku River. Isn't it?" I continued carefully, noticing the sadness in his eyes.

"…Haku… Are you alright?" I inquired, concerned. Shouldn't it have been a good thing that he got his name back? He said nothing, but instead, pulled me into a sudden embrace and my face was crushed against his strong chest. Surprise swept through me but soon I found my arms wrapping them around him while he buried his face in my wet hair. His hands trailed down my back, sending tingles down my spine. I gripped his clothes. "Haku?" I whispered.

"I'm sorry, Chihiro," he whispered. My brows creased in puzzlement. "What are you sorry for? There's nothing you should be sorry for, Haku. I'm supposed to be apologizing for my actions earlier…"

"I left you alone that time… I wasn't by your side when you needed me most. I failed you, Chihiro…"

I pulled away and shook my head, my hands cupping his cheeks, forcing him to look at me. "Don't blame yourself, Haku. I won't blame you, because you didn't come for a reason. I trust you and I still do, Haku. So don't blame yourself. And anyway, weren't you there to save me when I was still stuck in that messed up place that really needs some light? It's so hard to see in that dump," I scoffed. Haku chuckled lightly, but he obviously wasn't convinced.

Without thinking, I leaned in and brushed my lips on his cheeks gently. He squeezed my hand while his other one pressed against my back, pushing me closer to him. I scooted over a little, seeing leaning over was getting uncomfortable and then I pulled away, embarrassed. However, he wasn't going to let this go lightly, apparently. His index finger tilted my chin ever so slightly to make us lock gazes, then he started moving in closer… and closer… The distance between our lips closed to a mere millimeter of air between them before he brushed his against mine. That effectively sent a few watts of electricity through my body and I felt my insides turn to mush. Haku was about to deepen the kiss though, until we heard a sudden slamming of doors from outside.

I jumped up in shock and there went the moment. Awareness filled my mind and my heart thumped loudly, the sound filling my ears. I scooted away from the green-haired boy and coughed nervously, looking away and hoping that he would not notice me blushing. He, too, coughed nervously in an effort to break any awkward silence. The silence was quickly getting to me, and I racked my brains for any possible things to say. _'Come on… come on, think, Chihiro!'_ It was to no avail, though. I was still thinking about what had just happened. We'd kissed! Well, maybe it was just a brush, but still. It was my first! I grinned goofily, but at the same time my heart palpitated wildly and felt my blush deepen.

"So… I'm still sorry about the-"

"Don't make me hit you, Haku," I growled threateningly, rolling my eyes, although he wouldn't have seen that since I wasn't facing him in all my stupid embarrassment. He was not going to ignore everything I'd just said.

"Okay, okay, I get it, Chihiro," he grinned. My shoulders sagged in relief. "But I'm still sorry," he added, to my frustration. Suppressing the urge to hit him on the head, I smiled sarcastically. To that, he laughed heartily and leaned in close to kiss me on the forehead. My smile faded quickly and I pursed them together, certain that I was blushing. "You're cute when you blush, Chihiro," he commented, which only served to make me blush even more. His fingers brushed my cheeks as his face came closer, his lips brushing my chin and jaw lightly.

"So… is there anything else..? Other than your new powers?" he asked, his breath tickling my jaw. The goblin flashed into my mind, sending a rise of panic within me. "What's wrong?" Haku pulled away, sensing my sudden discomfort. I flushed. "Nothing," I lied.

"You can't lie to me, Chihiro."

"It's really nothing."

"Then why did you tense so suddenly?"

"You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Nope."

I sighed and closed my eyes, crossing my fingers and hoping that he would not freak out on me. "Alright, but don't freak out, okay?" He returned it with a stiff nod. "I went to the goblin's cottage and-"

"What goblin's cottage?" he interrupted.

I frowned at his tone. "That's where I went that time before we got into a fight when you got all grumpy."

I put my fingers to his lips to shut him up for the time being. "Anyway, I went there because he's a friend of mine, and I was tired for some reason and then I slept, but I was woken up when this demon suddenly stomped in and grabbed me and then add some weird magic spell into the equation and ta-da, I was back in the Abyss of Hell."

"YOU WHAT?" Haku screamed into my ear. Wincing, I covered my ears although he took my hands with some sort of murderous look in his eyes. Realizing his mistake, he regained composure quickly. "I'm sorry," he muttered sheepishly. "Don't worry about it. I just need to find some replacement ear drums now," I returned cynically. He narrowed his eyes. "This isn't a joke, Chihiro. I'm serious. Did Hades hurt you anywhere?"

I shook my head. He didn't believe me. "Are you serious? Wouldn't he try to give you back your memories?" he asked. I nodded. "Yes… he did… and he- wait. How did you know he was going to give me back my memories?"

He ran his fingers through his hair. "Zeniba's speculations… but that's beside the point. What else happened?"

"He wasn't able to give me back my memories, because somehow I managed to protect myself."

"With your… powers?" he confirmed, to which I nodded.

"Then how did you get out?"

"This demon called Toranosuke or something persuaded his master to let me out. I have a feeling he was trying to help, but I can't be sure… seeing that he was the one who attacked me in the goblin's cottage."

Haku's hardened stance relaxed and he sighed. "I don't know what to make of this, so I guess we'll have to consult Zeniba another time, alright?"

I smiled. And I was half-expecting him to explode at me when I told him. "Thanks Haku," I grinned and ruffled his hair, messing it up. He shot me a scowl and reached for my hair but stopped short, realizing my hair was already messy, making me smirk victoriously, although it dropped when I recalled the goblin, certain that a look of sheer horror replaced it. "We need to get to the cottage. I haven't seen him ever since the attack! What if he's hurt or badly injured?!"

His scowl turned into a frown and instantly without a word, grabbed me and pulled me out the door outside. "Where's the place?" As I directed Haku to where the cottage was, I prayed that the goblin would be alright, wherever he was. He just had to be.

* * *

[Toranosuke's P.O.V]

'_Hopefully she's fine…_' I thought while returning to the cottage. I'd watched over the girl where she was dumped at overnight, making fending off those barbaric hungry spirits who attempted to even touch a single hair of hers. I had no idea why I was becoming so protective over this girl, nor was I sure if it was a good thing… For now, though, I would have to keep up the façade. She was sure to return to the cottage to check up on her 'friend'.

'_Friend, huh?'_ I thought sadly. I was a demon, a creature hated by all. I could never be a true friend worthy of her, but the least I could do was watch over her from afar and keep her safe.

Changing into the goblin's form, I trudged back to the remains of the cottage. Half of the roof was gone along with debris lying about where the walls had collapsed. Thank goodness none of them had hit her. I sat cross-legged on the grass, staring into the distance where the midday sun was.

'_Hopefully all these will come to an end soon…'_

* * *

A/N: YAY THEIR FIRST KISS! Did you guys enjoy it? I sure did! Hehe! ^^ I wanted to be mean and not do any kiss, but I couldn't wait either so hehe~ This couple is so cute I could scream. And you guys would probably hear me. :D Thanks for all your reviews for the previous chapter! They were so sweet! Love you guys, and till the next chapter! Which I hope won't take too long… (:

P.S. If the chapter isn't that good or anything then my bad, because I was too lazy to read the thing again to do a final check. I just scanned through the thing quickly, so hopefully the stuff isn't too bad! *crosses fingers*


	17. Relationships

The Lost Spirit: Relationships

A/N: Well. Short chapter. Oh well. Nothing much to expect from a literally living zombie with screwed up sleeping times… On one night, I sleep around midnight and when the next day drains me out, I go to bed at like, 8 and then wake up at 4 in the morning to complete unfinished homework. And the cycle continues. *sigh* #storyofmylife

I won't go on since well, I'm just taking up your time making you read my oh-so-happy life story, so on with the chapter! But first, *drum roll* please welcome the dialogue of the chapter! :D

* * *

Chihiro: What do you want to do now?

Haku: Let's watch a horror movie.

Chihiro: What?! No!

[Minutes later…]

Haku: Quit screaming in my ear, you big baby.

Chihiro: I really, really hate Child's Play! Stop forcing my eyes open!

Haku: Fine, are you less scared now? *kisses her*

Chihiro: …Well, I get to close my eyes… *blushes*

(A/N: If you haven't heard of Child's Play, I suggest not trying to find out. It was horrible! I didn't even know it was a horror movie when my seniors played it during a game in choir camp at night… And so, my friend and I witnessed a terrifying scene and ended up hugging each other and screaming on the table while getting laughed at by our seniors… *shudders*)

* * *

"Goblin-san! Where are you? Are you alright? Answer me!" I was jerked out of my thoughts and was on my feet in a flash, warily looking around and listening hard for the source of sound. "Hello? Anyone there?" the voice called out again. I heaved a sigh of relief, but at the same time tensing. Deciding not to worry her any further, I called out.

"Stop calling me 'goblin-san' you stupid girl! I'm right here! You blind?"

5 seconds later, she came into view with another boy from a far distance, the panic clear in her hazel eyes. A soft smile formed on my wrinkly face subconsciously while a radiant smile brightened her face as she started sprinting towards me.

"Oof!"

"Sorry! Are you okay, goblin-san?" she asked innocently as she crashed into me in a hug. In all honesty, it was embarrassing to have a girl having to bend down just to hug me. Stupid goblins…

"Yeah, I'm fine. Can't you see that I'm fine? And I told you, stop calling me 'goblin-san'! Be more respectful, girl!"

She sighed, and pulled away. "Well, you're obviously fine. That's a relief." No matter how much I tried to suppress it, the corners of my lips stubbornly turned up. Patting her shoulders comfortingly, I shook my head, smiling. "That should be my line. What happened exactly? You alright? I go out for a moment and come back to find my house wrecked and you gone? I thought you were trying to exact some form of revenge on me or something."

A quiet-cum-nervous laugh escaped her. "…Sorry, I was just attacked that night by a demon and he took me away back to that hell of a place. I was afraid he'd have attacked you too…"

"You were attacked?! Are you alright? Did he hurt you anywhere?" Thanks to my shape-shifting abilities, I also happened to be a very good actor. And thank goodness for that too, or that would just spell trouble. She shook her head. "I'm fine. He didn't hurt me at all. But are you sure he didn't attack you?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I don't suffer from gob-mentia."

"Gob-mentia..?"

"Nothing, just some goblin terms I'm used to using."

A few seconds of awkward silence passed, having run out of conversation pointers to talk about.

"You sure he didn't hurt you?" I checked again. Chihiro rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm sure. I don't suffer from gob-mentia," she answered, doing some weird actions with her index and middle fingers whilst saying 'gob-mentia'. How interesting humans were.

The dragon coughed, still sending me a guarded look. "Hey dragon, stop looking at me like that. It ain't nice, kid." I said gruffly, folding my arms. He shot me a small glare, but instead earned a similar one from the girl.

"So… where're you going to stay now?"

I blinked, confused. I hadn't thought about that… "Don't know about that yet…" I admitted, looking down and rubbing my forearm awkwardly in slight embarrassment. It didn't take looking to have to know she was probably mentally face-palming herself. "Then, what are you going to do?" she drummed her fingers on her folded arms impatiently. "I'm not sure. No need for worry, girl. I can handle it."

The girl opened her mouth to retort, but shut it, seeing there was no point in arguing with the 'stubborn old goblin' I was. "Run along, girl. Don't you have better things to do, like go on a date with the dragon kid?" I snickered when a light pink tinted her cheeks, while the dragon boy seemed to be just as amused at her reaction. "I-I have better things to do than that!" she stammered and stomped off in a huff while the dragon boy followed after.

* * *

[Chihiro's P.O.V]

"Will you ever stop being paranoid, Haku?" I scolded while we headed back to the cottage. He scowled at me. "You know why I'm paranoid, and besides, you hardly know him. With your innocence, you'd be easy to trick. You don't know his intentions." I rolled my eyes and groaned. "Come on, he's a goblin. If he was something else, like a demon in disguise, you would be able to tell, wouldn't you?" That shut him up good as he pondered upon it. Shaking my head, I jumped on his back, forcing him into piggy-backing me. "Get off," he commanded.

"I like it up here though."

"Get off, Chihiro."

"Hmm… let me think about it for a moment. Nah."

"Oh, so that's how you want it eh?"

My smirk dropped. That didn't sound good in the least. I gulped and let out a startled shriek as he twirled, jumped and almost dropped me. "Hey! Stop it!" I yelled when he caught me just before I could hit the ground. Evilly smiling, he said, "Oh? I thought someone wanted to stay on my back? Not that I can help it; I'm just so irresistible." I snorted. "Narcissist."

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing," he fake pouted.

I narrowed my eyes. "Let. Go."

"As you wish." Before I could protest, the support left me and my butt came crashing in contact with the ground it so loved very much. I glowered at the dragon who offered his hand which I slapped away, standing up by myself. "Someone's throwing a fit," he mocked, jogging lightly to follow me as I huffed off. "I'm not throwing a fit!" I frowned, immediately regretting that when he cocked his eyebrows in a _yes-you-are_ look.

I groaned exasperatedly, deciding to ignore him, but wishing I could hit him. Even once would be nice. "Ouch! What'd you do that for?" he cried. Surprised, I looked back, thinking something else had attacked him. Before me stood a drenched Haku. Taken aback by his awkward stance, I burst out in hysterical laughter while he glowered at me, obviously not appreciative of it. With a quick snap, the water left his hair and clothes, leaving him dry with not even a hint of a drop of water remaining. Still, the image was etched into my mind, and I wouldn't stop laughing. "S-Shut up… And what'd you do that for, anyway?" I sucked in deep breaths to calm myself and to ease my aching stomach muscles. "What do you mean? I didn't do anything. Didn't you do that to yourself by mistake, or something?"

When he returned it with a perplexed look, I stared at my hands which had a few droplets of water left slipping off of my palms. My eyes then turned up to him while I grinned sheepishly. "I did not do it on purpose. Honest." _'But I'm glad I did,'_ I secretly thought, suppressing yet another round of laughing fits. "Right. We better do something about your control then," he stated before walking ahead. Shrugging, I walked along, and was soon lost deep in my thoughts.

It was still awkward between me and my parents, seeing that ultimately, I was still the main cause of them dying and ending up here and also because they were still ignoring me and were still pissed at me for slipping out of the cottage without warning and causing them much worry. A small sigh escaped my lips as I recalled Dad's shouting. Perhaps I would apologize to them in a little bit… or not. I wasn't ready to face them after having _that _memory returned to me. _'Stupid devil…'_ My face scrunched up into a scowl. How nice it would be to be able to punch him.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when my forehead suddenly met a strong, warm palm. Blinking, my head turned to meet enchanting pools of emerald green orbs. "What were you thinking about?" he asked. I scowled again. "Nothing. Just that giant from hell whose ass I really want to kick out of existence." He blinked, then chuckled. "And here I was thinking that you were thinking about me with that huge scowl on your face," he replied, opening the door to the cottage. "That was fast…" I muttered, surprised we had already arrived.

"What?"

"Oh nothing, I was just thinking about how much more annoyed I would have been if I had been thinking about you just now," I replied nonchalantly, stepping into the cottage. I imagined his eyes narrowing at me, making a smirk play on my lips. "So what are you going to do now?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure. Maybe ask Zeniba to help me with regards to my new powers?" He frowned. "Why not me?"

"I don't know…" I mumbled, awkwardly recalling the events earlier in the morning. Seemingly having read my mind, a faint pink tinted his ears, and I was certain that my cheeks were a matching color.

A minute passed in awkward shuffling and silence between us. "Well, well, what are you two standing here for?" I brightened up instantly. "Granny!" I exclaimed, rushing over to her. Relief was probably flooding my face as I profusely silently thanked her for breaking that awkward moment. "My, my, you two are blushing. What did you do now, hmm?" My eyes widened. "N-Nothing! Stop it, Granny!"

"Such denial. Well, I shan't tease you further. I really have to get on with all this paperwork. If I could, I would burn them all and just knit all day," she sighed and started for her study. "Help yourselves to the cookies! It's on the table! Just out the oven!" she called back. The proposal died down in my throat as she closed the door behind her. It was then that the inviting waft of white double-chocolate chip cookies entered my nostrils. Looking back at Haku, I laughed nervously. "So… I guess it's just you and me, huh… hehe…"

"Chihiro, you're nervous around me?" he smirked. At once I glared at him, having lost all feelings of awkwardness in an instant. "Not in a million years," I lied. "Sure, whatever you say," he nodded.

"Please, you were blushing too," I scoffed.

"Oh? So you admit it? That you get nervous around me?" He took a step closer but I couldn't find the strength to even shuffle back in the slightest. I looked away. My face heated up gradually as he closed the distance between us. "Give it up, stubborn one. You're already blushing. You're really cute when you blush, you know."

I felt my blush deepen. "You already said that. And don't call me cute!" I pouted, annoyed that he had the upper-hand here. "I can't lie… And that's a compliment, in case you didn't know." Without warning, a gush of water hit him square in the face. A wave of surprise swept through both of us and I burst out laughing while he scowled.

"Not funny. It hurts… Oww…"

I wiped a tear off my cheek, trying to contain my laughter. "Really, now."

Smirking, I watched as he dried himself off again and continued painfully with hysterical laughter, cupping my mouth to prevent myself from making too much noise and disrupting Granny's work. When I finally stopped though, I expected to see Haku folding his arms in annoyance, but instead I came face to face with his observing emerald eyes, making me flinch.

I looked at him. A thought had apparently formed in his mind and he grinned evilly at me, making my smirk drop. "What?" I frowned. I had a feeling it wasn't going to be good… "Zeniba said she's busy now, so let's go." With that, he grabbed my wrist and literally dragged me out of the room, making me lose my balance and fall. Ignoring that, I continued to be dragged on my butt.

"Hey!" I shouted, glaring at his back, imagining lasers shooting out of my eyes while he continued dragging me. "Where're we going?!"

Soon, we were outside and he scooped me up bridal-style, making me redden for the umpteenth time that day. Again, he flashed that same evil grin, making me shudder. "Why do I feel like this is a bad thing?" I muttered under my breath.

"Oh, come on, Chihiro. It's not a bad thing," he either heard me or could read my mind. I stared at him questioningly, only bringing a smirk onto his face.

"We're starting your official training."

* * *

A/N: This chapter was more relaxing. But danggg I still feel quite bad about this chapter because I guess I'm just so used to writing stuff with more plot in them… Really worried that this chapter is too shoddy or something… I hope you guys enjoyed it though. Was it alright? Please tell me what you think about it and if you want more relaxed chapters with lesser plot and more fluff? ^^

And I'm really sorry if in future I can't update as often, like I might only be able to update in like, 1-2 weeks or so because honestly, I've been extremely busy in school handling 9 subjects apart from other commitments, so I'll try my best to write in free pockets of time alright? (: Thanks for reading and for the really, really lovely reviews that made my day! God bless ya! :3

Now for the hardest bit: Getting myself to upload this despite all the nervousness lol.


	18. One Step at a Time

The Lost Spirit: One Step at a Time

A/N: MWAHAHAHA I'm back for the delivery of the next chapter! ^^ Heehee this week has been really flu-ful and yeah… *sniff sniff* my nose has been annoyingly explosive! So… I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter! :3

* * *

Haku: *Takes off shirt*

Chihiro: Oh no, you don't! At least let me get out of here before you start changing!

Haku: I know you're just dying to see. *smirks*

Chihiro: No! You pervert! I'm not interested in looking at your yummy abs or-

Haku: Go on, I like what you're saying.

Chihiro: *blushes* I'm out of here.

(A/N: I think I like this dialogue HAHAHA.)

* * *

"Tell me," I panted, "how does running help… in any…way?" Haku turned around, his sweat making his skin glisten beautifully. I averted my eyes, feeling myself begin to blush. "It doesn't," he replied simply, smirking at me. After running so many rounds, he didn't seem tired at all, other than a slightly faster rate of breathing. At his words, I snapped up and almost punched him. "You mean, you made me run so much, for nothing?!"

Haku shrugged. "It's not for nothing, Chihiro. It can help you lose some wei- Hey! Don't hit me!" I noticed the water that was already surging out my palms, about to hit him. Instinctively, I tried to stop it, and it slowed down a little, but went ahead towards Haku anyway. He sighed, commanding the water to stop just before it could touch him, and it dissipated into the air immediately.

I gawked at him. "How did you do that?"

He flashed me a grin. "Takes practice. And that's what you're going to do."

I sighed. I was never really one for listening to boring lectures… "Don't give up on me now, Chihiro. Focus." Haku's hand landed on my head and spun my head towards his, bringing our faces a mere few centimeters apart. I felt my cheeks redden and pulled back fiercely. He smirked. "Clear your head and listen to me, Chihiro. If not you'll end up attacking people you don't know if you can't control yourself."

Sighing exaggeratedly, I exhibited a _get-on-with-it_ look, causing him to chuckle deeply. "Okay, so let's get started. What's water to you?"

I frowned. "Are you serious? You're going to go all psychologist on me now?" He rolled his eyes, annoyed. "Just do as I say, Chihiro. The faster you get this done, the faster you can try fighting me." At that, my eyes lit up in anticipation. Boy, it would be fun thrashing him at his own game. "So?" his eyebrow cocked up. "What?" I asked, confused. "My earlier question..?"

"Oh, um, I… don't know…" I fiddled awkwardly with my fingers. I didn't exactly want to think about water. "It's hard, I know. So what is it?" Haku's voice had softened. Sadness, grief and anger started to overwhelm me at once, images flooding my mind. "…I hate it…" I muttered. When Haku remained silent, I decided he was fine with dropping the topic. "Can we move on?" I whispered emotionlessly. Clearing his throat, he nodded. "Alright. So anyway, I'll need to see what kind of a magic user you are. Hold out your palm." Hesitantly, I opened my palm.

"Make water levitate above it."

Confused, I did as told. Fixating my eyes on my open hand, I imagined water flowing through my arms, giving me a thrilling sensation that sent tingles down my arm. It felt as if water was flowing through it at lightning speed, and in no time, water sprung out of my hand as gracefully as I could possibly muster. Haku nodded approvingly and I stopped. "Tell me, how did you do that?" His tone was now that of a professional coach. "I just imagined water flowing, and there it went," I stated just as formally.

A tiny smile formed on his lips. "Ahh… I see now." I frowned as he continued mumbling to himself like some old man with dra-mentia. Heh, see what I did there? Dra-mentia… Never mind. "Um, earth to Haku? I'm still here. So what about it?"

"There're different types of magic users in the Spirit World. You know how there are visual, auditory, kinesthetic and read/write learners as you put it in the human world?"

I nodded apprehensively. "So, what kind of magic user am I?"

"Apart from those 4, there's another category for magic users. You're a feeling magic user, but I think you're a visual magic user too," he smiled, making gestures as if they could magically make me understand everything he'd just said.

"So I'm a feeling-cum-visual magic user… What's a feeling magic user?"

He let out a small sigh as if I'd just asked a stupid question. "I use my feelings when I'm using magic?" I checked, to which he nodded. And here I was thinking it was some complicated stuff. "Alright, so your powers work in the way you visualize it to be, but it also works depending on your mood. I'm not sure about how your mood and magic works, so we'll just have to try. But for now, imagine getting that… squirrel over there wet."

I followed his index finger to an adorable squirrel that was nibbling contentedly on its new-found nut a distance away near a tree. "You want me to bother that little thing? No thanks. It just might find me and start clawing my eyes out or something."

"Actually, it'll bite you eyes out." I shot Haku a dirty look and he held up his hands in a _what-did-I-do_ pose. He grinned and shifted his index finger to point at a tree nearby. "Shoot some water towards it."

Holding out my right palm, it faced the tree and I closed my eyes, imagining water splashing roughly against it. My ears perked up at the sound of splashing water and slowly my eyes opened to the sight of wave-like waters surrounding the bottom of the tree. I smiled, satisfied with my work, but all too soon, it dropped while my feet planted themselves firmly onto the ground. The same images flooded my mind again.

_Mom and Dad falling into the water, the waves splashing mercilessly and relentlessly onto the vulnerable sand on shore while they screamed in terror. _

"Chihiro! Chihiro, snap out of it!" A rough shaking of my shoulders snapped me out of my thoughts. Lips quivering, I looked up to see Haku holding my hand. Dumbfounded, I looked to see the water gone. Staring at him questioningly, words formed at the tip of my tongue but they wouldn't come out. "That's enough for the day. You're tired, Chihiro. You'll get tired easily when you first use magic. Come, I'll carry you back."

Without complaint, I remained stiff as he picked me up wordlessly, heading back to the cottage. He pressed my head against his brick-hard chest, muttering words I couldn't make out; nothing was on my mind at the moment. Suddenly feeling exhausted, drowsiness washed over me and I soon found my eyelids falling at a slow and steady pace, with only the sound of crashing waves filling my head.

* * *

"Go on," Haku coaxed gently. I swallowed the lump in my throat and took a few deep breaths to steady myself. Running through my fingertips on the hard, cold wood, I could hear voices on the other end having just another usual conversation. I took a step back, my heels ready to take a sprint out of the hall, but Haku held on stubbornly to me, rendering me incapable of even budging. "It's alright. Just go, Chihiro."

My heart beat quickly as I watched Haku make 3 light knocks on the polished door. "Come in," the sweet, motherly voice came. Knowing there was no escape for me, I plucked up whatever courage I did not possess and stepped into the brightly illuminated room with the help of warm sunrays, though they quickly turned into fireballs when the air turned cold in an instant. "I'll leave you 3 alone, then." Haku quietly excused himself and left the room, my heart sinking upon hearing the silent 'click' of the door closing.

Mom looked away and pretended to continue with her knitting while Dad pretended to ignore me and continued polishing his rod. After a few seconds of fidgeting about uncomfortably, I cleared my throat.

"M-Mom, Dad," I started slowly, at the same time noticing they had not bothered to change their stances. "I'm sorry…" I whispered softly. They acted as if they hadn't heard a thing.

My chest constricted as hurt crept into me, seeing that they were still bent on feigning ignorance. It was the same feeling from 4 years ago.

A part of me was angry because they were not even bothering to acknowledge my presence, nor did they care to consider my apology… but then again, who was I to get angry? They had every right to be mad at me; I caused their deaths, I caused them worry; all I've been was a burden to them. Honestly, I didn't think I was a good daughter to even begin with. And yet, here I was getting angry because they wouldn't forgive me. It wasn't as if they were obliged to do so anyway. _"At least apologize, Chihiro. They'll forgive you," _Haku had persuaded. I silently scoffed as a wet tear slid down my cheek.

Without a warning, I squeaked in surprise when I found myself in Dad's arms. "You're a good girl, Chihiro…" he murmured, ruffling my hair gently. It felt as if I'd just gulped down 5 full cups of warm honey, and all the warmness was filling me whole, instigating more tears to spill. They felt warm against my cheeks before seeping into his shirt. I heard Mom get off her chair and as expected, Dad released me, allowing me and Mom some hugging time as well. I squeezed her back, feeling my shoulder begin to get a little damp where her chin rested.

"I'm sorry…" I whispered and she nodded lovingly in response, her hands rubbing my back soothingly as both of us sniffed at the same time. I let out a short breath of laughter and she did the same. "We want to clear one thing up with you though, young lady."

Wiping away my tears, they placed each of their hands placed atop mine. "You're not responsible for our deaths."

And they watched as I sucked in a sharp breath. "But-" I started to protest.

"No 'buts', missy. You," Dad poked his index finger at my forehead, "are not responsible. Everything was an accident." I was about to protest further when Mom took over. "Chihiro, sweetie, it was an accident no one wanted. Do you understand that?" I nodded slowly. "Besides, if we never died, then all these would not have happened; we would not have met all these wonderful people, and you wouldn't have met Haku again, would you?"

"Zeniba and Haku have told us everything already," Dad cut in before I could ask. I hunched and leaned back slightly, thinking. It was true that perhaps I would never have returned to this place to be with Haku, or if I did, wouldn't have been able to stay that way since we were 2 completely different beings from 2 completely different worlds. "All things happen for a reason; maybe you won't like it at first, but later, you'll find that everything worked out accordingly for the best," Mom concluded wisely.

Deciding to bring out the white flags, I got up. "Okay, I got it, Mom, Dad. Thanks." I smiled a genuine smile. "Let it go, Chihiro. Promise us that?" Mom pleaded. After hesitating for a moment, I closed my eyes and felt the lock on my heart slowly, yet surely starting to release its holds.

"Promise."

* * *

"Come on, Chihiro," Haku dragged me forcefully by the legs while I stubbornly resisted by grabbing tightly onto the door. "I'm too tired! Let me sleep a while more!" I whined, trying my best puppy-dog look, which didn't work… as usual. Dang, I really needed to work on it. "It's already been 4 days since the last training session, and you need to practice!"

"Ah!" I shouted when he finally succeeded. He then flung me over his shoulder and started for our training spot with extraordinary speed. The wind had fun messing up my already tangled hair strands, and when we finally reached our destination, I was sure I looked like a ghost. Scrambling off of Haku, I ran off behind a tree to arrange my hair, embarrassed of letting him see me in such an unattractive manner.

After finger-combing my hair for a few minutes, I ran back to Haku who was folding his arms and tapping his feet impatiently. "Finally!" he exclaimed exaggeratedly, "Let's get to work. We'll start with meditating first. Come." He knelt on the grass, cuing me to follow suit. I knelt, irked by the wet stuff surrounding my kneecaps. Imitating him was kind of interesting, but annoying at the same time. I couldn't get anything right, which earned me a lot of scolding and fixing of my limbs' positions. "There we go. All set. Now, just breathe in deeply, and imagine water flowing through your body. Concentrate and focus on the element that bines you and your magical being together."

Nodding seriously, my eyelids shut close and after maintaining my 'peace', visualized water flowing through every vein of my being. _'Connect, connect, connect…' _ I chanted in my head. Focusing all of my mental energy on it, drops of water appeared in my vision, before slowly increasing into streams of water flowing throughout my body. I felt my entire being gain energy, yet it wasn't only my physical being; it was as if… there was someone or something else… hidden within…

"You know… if you're done, you can stop." Haku's voice broke my trance effectively, and I blinked in question. "How long have I been doing that?"

"15 minutes. Not bad for a first-timer… I guess you've much more potential than I thought you'd have. Then again, I underestimate you too much," he replied, getting up.

Getting up, I dusted off the dirt on my legs and clothes. "Okay, try getting me wet, Chihiro," he challenged with a wide grin on his face. My grin was probably being reflected as well, as the thought of managing to hit him _intentionally_ appealed greatly. He backpedaled a distance away and nodded as the cue to start. Staring at my palms, 2 balls of water surfaced and using all my arm strength, I threw them at Haku. He dodged them easily, much to my disappointment, and they ended up splashing sadly against the grass.

Trying it again and again proved unsuccessful. It all failed, and I was starting to get annoyed. Haku had such a wide smirk on his face I really wanted to hit him. "Is that all you got?" he shouted back. I scowled fiercely and looked away, soaking in my frustration. Just as I was about to come up with more water balls though, I was suddenly hit by a large amount of water. Shocked, I glanced up at Haku with big eyes who laughed deeply in return. Feeling the water seep into my underwear was really uncomfortable; getting wet was never something I could tolerate easily.

That did it. Gritting my teeth, I looked at the ground Haku was standing on and continued even more determinedly as I felt my powers working. Since he would probably be able to feel it soon, I had to hurry. "Aww, Chihiro, don't be mad. I was just-"

He was cut off when gusts of water burst from the ground beneath him, too fast for him to react in the slightest. My scowl turned into a smirk as I watched the flustered boy attempt to regain his balance, now soaking wet as I stopped the flow of water. "Not bad…" he commented, trudging over to me. The sound of his squeaking sandals made me giggle over my victory. "That was a trick I took a while to discover, Chihiro. How did you know?"

I grinned. "Groundwater. If I'm not wrong, I studied a lot."

He nodded approvingly. "Well, for one thing, obviously anger and frustration makes you even more powerful. I'm not sure about other emotions, but I guess we'll just leave it for another day. You should be getting tired by now after that blast you pulled." True enough, my shoulders sagged and I stretched my neck that was starting to ache. Smiling, we headed back.

"By the way, Chihiro, do you practice a lot? That was a good one for your level."

"I'm just naturally skillful, I guess."

He snorted. "Narcissist."

"Aww, you make it sound like it's a bad thing," I fake pouted, then grinned when he rolled his eyes.

* * *

A/N: Well… just in case you didn't notice, the last bit of conversation was from parts of their 'playtimes' together in previous chapters. Thank you guys for all of your lovely reviews! They really made my day! Heehee a million thanks to you guys who reviewed the previous chapter:

**michelle88222, LeeshyLoo, RedRoseSQB, Jess2709, Chihiro no Ryuu and Carly!** :DDD

And definitely not forgetting those who have reviewed this story before:

**WhiteTiger246, WildCroconaw, sonia- s.a, , Lupa Eira, Cristal R, Guest(s?), Scarlet Ammo 19, hello, skypanda, Goldenapples, toastedCroissants and Aria Mai Olican-Wren!** (I went in order by chapter ^^)

THANKS! I realize this is my first time acknowledging you guys who have been reviewing and I plan to do that from now on because you guys are really the reason I've been working hard at this story and your encouragements have been keeping me going even when I've lost confidence multiple times. And LOL I make this sound like it's the last chapter, don't I? XD but nah, I don't think thanking someone needs a fixed time and date, so yeah. Thanks a bunch!

Oh and RedRoseSQB, thanks for the really fantastic idea! That got me thinking, and… I won't leak anything. Did I choose to use your idea, or did I not? *evil grin* My lips are sealed! *throws away the key* I'm gonna save you guys the surprise for the plot twist! Carry on reading and you'll find out!

Thanks again for reading this chapter and for your patience as well! I will work hard and try to meet the 1-week deadline for updating the next chapter! Hopefully the latest maximum for future chapters will be two weeks. But anyway, I'll just give you guys a head's up if I'm really extra busy in the weeks to come the chapter before yea.

I realize my A/Ns take up a lot of the chapter space… sorry about that…


	19. Friends

The Lost Spirit: Friends

A/N: OH MY BARF I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT THE DIALOGUE! Here it is! HAHAHAHA! SORRY! :P

Chihiro: I can't sleep…

Haku: Why not?

Chihiro: I don't know…

Haku: *kisses her forehead* I'll stay here beside you till you sleep then.

* * *

"So when you get nervous, you start going out of control… Hmm… I'll make sure to stay away from you when you're fighting…" Haku muttered. My cheeks flamed, fingers going up to my cheek where he had just kissed. "Th-That's just…"

A smile crept up his face and I looked away in silent defeat. We had been going through all the emotions we could think of; it sucked being a feeling magic user. It was the perfect time for Haku to tease me without any limits. If only he could just lay off a little; I was starting to get annoyed. …Or maybe that wasn't such a bad idea. "You've got them all in your head now, right? Now for some practice," he winked flirtatiously. Stifling a laugh and holding back further blushes, I pushed him away playfully and put some distance between us.

It was going to be so fun kicking his ass. "Target's gonna move, Chihiro. Try landing 3 hits on me." With that, he took off into the sky in his dragon form. Gaping at the scene dumbly, I finally found the sense to yell, "No fair! I can't fly!" angrily after the sleek figure of the creature. _'Don't give me that. I taught you just now, didn't I?' _the wind seemed to whisper. My eyes widened in surprise before recovering quickly. "Yeah, but I can't do that stupid incantation! It's hard!" _'That's why we're practicing, Chihiro.'_ The wind was starting to get restless. I mentally face-palmed myself in increasing frustration.

I knocked my fist against my head, trying to recall the exact syllables of the 20-word spell. It wasn't in Japanese, which only served to make things harder. "Arrgh!" I exclaimed, looking desperately at the taunting dragon above. A little smile revealed part of his razor-sharp canines. Inhaling deeply to calm myself, I continued racking my brains for the words, but just then, a great idea formed in my mind as I recalled all the silly cartoons I'd been forced to watch in class. I started off in a random celebratory dance of my own, smacking my palms together in realization and grinning myself silly. I could just improvise on my part; after all, he _did_ tell me magic was an art. Thank goodness for cartoons.

'_Need some help?' _the wind whispered softly against my ears. Instead of answering, I closed my eyes and instantly saw a vortex of water springing up from the ground. To my delight, the sound of rushing yet silent waters surrounded my body. A layer of water supported my feet without getting my shoes wet, surprisingly. Slowly, I opened my eyes and gulped, seeing that I was getting higher and higher above the ground. I quickly shook the fear off though; it would only aggravate my situation. "Slow and steady now…" I chanted soothingly. Courage was right at the tips of my fingers, but still I could not reach it.

The vortex and support were already weakening, and as I looked down, I swore I was at least 5 feet above the ground. Quickly losing my balance, my body shook left, right, front and back clumsily before finally falling into the open air and I could only watch as the water burst and dissipated into the air. A fearful scream caught in the back of my throat as I plunged faster and faster downwards, waiting for the possibly fatal impact which never came. Tears welled up in my shut eyes. 5 seconds later when I was wondering if I was dead, Haku's voice came. "You're alright, Chihiro. I'm here. I'm here." Immediately my shaky hands grasped his soft clothes and he pulled me closer to him. Taking deep breaths, I took comfort in the fact that Haku was here. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

I shook my head dumbly, refusing to release my cling on his clothes. I was deathly afraid of leaving him for an odd reason. "Don't be scared, Chihiro. I'm here now." His chin came to rest on my head gently, pressing my head to the crook of his neck tenderly. Then, he started to rock me gently to a sweet lullaby sung by the passing winds.

* * *

A knock came on the door. "Come in," I said, flipping the page of the rotting old book. "Am I disturbing anything?" Granny chuckled. I looked up and smiled brightly, shaking my head. "I'm trying to learn more things about magic so I can control myself better." To that, she approvingly nodded and took a seat on the rocking chair at the end of my bed. Folding the corner of the page, I closed the book and turned to face the elderly woman, sensing she had things to say.

"So, tell me dear, how are your memories doing?" The silent creaking of the wooden chair robbed the room of its peace.

"Hmm…" I drummed my fingers on the bed sheets. "I've almost fully recovered them. …Oh right, Granny, what's this hair tie supposed to be?"

I handed her the sparkly accessory, at the same time running my fingers through the puffed up strands of brown hair. "You know what it was, dear: A gift from me to you."

"I know, but it was the one that helped me recover the main parts of my memories from the Spirit World, and I still remember Kamaji saying it's a powerful item or something along that line."

She smiled. "It was supposed to be a protective charm for you. I'd cast a spell on it before you left, ensuring it would lead you down the path that has been designed for you, sweetie. I must say, that your road has been full of obstacles, but only because you were strong enough to handle them." Now it was my turn to smile. Sardonically. "Yeah, right. It's just because I'm unlucky."

"Unlucky enough to have re-entered the Spirit World? To have met your old friends once again? Chihiro, you must understand that everything that happens has a designed purpose for them." She placed the hair tie in my palm. "You sound so much like Mom all of a sudden."

"On the contrary, she must have sounded like me. After all, I was the one who talked to them about this as well," she cackled amusedly.

* * *

I tugged on Haku's tunic shyly. "I still feel bad… Is Lin still mad at me?"

The tall boy turned around to face me. "Well… let's just say, she'll be mad at you for about 5 seconds before she goes back to normal. Trust me; she can never stay mad at you." I blinked, but slowly nodded, gulping as we neared the boiler room, careful to avoid being noticed in the dark night. The chilly night air made goose bumps appear on my arms and legs, and I shivered. My teeth hit each other childishly and I gritted them.

Instinctively, my feet picked up the pace and as my hands wrapped themselves around the nice, warm metal, I emitted a small sigh of relief. Haku was behind me with a small smile and his hand enveloped mine, turning the knob and pulling the old door open. The warmth that greeted us was incredible. I found myself running in and nearly tripped over the soot balls that were scuttling around as usual. Not that it would have mattered; I could feel the loving and inviting heat even through my shoes.

"Hey there, Kamaji!" I beamed excitedly and ran towards a surprised old man. "Chihiro! What a nice surprise! Nice to see you again, Haku," Kamaji remarked as he pulled me in for a hug with his long arms. The smell of smoke and herbs entered my nostrils and then we pulled apart with Kamaji getting back to work. One by one, secretly, the soot balls waved to me cutely and I waved back, grinning. I then started looking around. "Where's Lin?"

"She's late. Probably got into a fight with one of the yunas around here again."

I caught Haku rolling his eyes and nudged him playfully with my elbow. "By the way, is Lin still mad at me for leaving the bathhouse on short notice that last time I was here?" I asked sheepishly. Beads of sweat started to form on my roasting flesh. Now I wanted to get out for some cool air. "She was practically red in the face before, but I don't think so. Though, she'll scold you for a few seconds before going back to her usual self."

I swallowed. That didn't sound very good… Hopefully the fact that I remembered her would make up for it? "Anytime now," Haku muttered, eyes on the opening that Lin would squeeze through to hand Kamaji his dinner. Right on cue, the door slid open and the brunette appeared, handing the grumpy old man a huge bowl. Surprisingly, she was actually silent. If the cussing under her breath and slightly reddened face did not count. I had to clear my throat twice before she noticed Haku and I.

Her eyes widened in surprise first, before it narrowed into frustration as she turned to me. "Chihiro…" she growled. "Eheh… Hi, Lin! Great to see you again!" I twirled my hair around my finger, finding my position increasingly awkward. I then spotted Haku's hand behind his back. 5…

"You had me worried sick the last time you left, Chihiro! What were you thinking?!"

3…

"And I almost died chasing after you! What the hell was that, Chihiro?!" she practically screamed my name out shrilly, and I winced, covering my ears.

1…

0…

Haku watched smugly as Lin ran towards me and caught me in a huge squeeze. "I really missed you…" she muttered and I couldn't help but laugh, though it proved a challenge since I could barely take in any oxygen. "Sorry, Lin. I was just messed up. Anyway, good news is, I remember almost everything now."

Lin broke apart, grinned broadly and smugly with an air of arrogance. To Haku's apparent annoyance, she snickered. "She just couldn't forget about me, dragon boy. Take that!" Haku exhaled and replied weakly, "Whatever, Lin."

The two of them made Kamaji and I smirk. "What?" Haku and Lin scowled at the same time. "You two are so cute," I blurted, holding back a giggle. However, my joy ceased when Haku took a few steps closer. "Did you just call me 'cute', Chihiro?" His voice was dark, but his bemused eyes betrayed it. From the corner of my eye, Lin smiled a toothy grin and cocked her eyebrows suggestively. "That's because you were..?" I tried my cutest puppy dog look, but of course, he was immune. Tough luck again.

"Some punishment is in store, don't you think?" he chuckled and stepped closer. I found myself backing away in response, and I froze. I could feel everyone's eyes on me and the embarrassment was starting to get to me. Red filled my cheeks generously and I looked away. "Alright, give my sis a break, dragon boy. I get my time with her now." I thanked Lin profusely for that life-saver as she grabbed my arm and pulled me off to a corner of the boiler room. "Don't you have work to do, Lin?" Haku asked. She simply snorted. "What's that damn crazed witch going to do? Turn me into a pig? Besides, she owes me some break time."

"So… how's it going with Haku?" Lin bounced excitedly and sent me a suggestive wink. I groaned. It was definitely going to be a long break for Lin.

* * *

[Hades' P.O.V] (A/N: Well, this just ruined the effect.)

"He's been staying put as ordered, Master."

"Good. Carry on. You may leave." As quickly as he'd arrived, my little minion disappeared into the shadows. Stroking my chin, I rested my elbow on the glorious throne I lounged comfortably on.

'_Ahh… Toranosuke…'_ A sinister smile made its way up my ghostly face. _'You've underestimated me far too greatly, my dear slave. Did you think I couldn't see past your true intentions when the human girl was here? Hmm… I'm sure being the 'emotional demon' you are, you simply cannot deny sympathy. But to disobey me, tsk, tsk. You have tested me, dear Toranosuke. And now, it's my turn to test the undying loyalty you have sworn to me just years back. Only I know who you truly are…' _

Unable to suppress the humorous laughter shooting up my empty yet whole body, the melodious tune of horror ricocheted off the invisible 'walls' of this throne room. The boy has yet to know of his true identity which only I knew of. The thought simply brought contentment and satisfaction welling up in me. It was so tempting… it would be quite the show to watch. I twirled my unsightly fingers in the air, creating 3 dark wisps, figures of the trio. My fingers itched to kick-start the game. Well, even I could be subject to temptation once in a while.

'_The Ogino family is really interesting. Toranosuke, hopefully you don't fail me. But if you do…'_ A long, thorny nail spiked out and slashed at his wisp, and just like that, it disappeared into oblivion.

* * *

A/N: Sorry… I was drowning in project work the whole day (and night) on Sunday… All the way till 1am++ and then I was too tired to write… *sigh* Today I had lesser homework so I managed to find the time to write this chapter hehe! By the way, next week I might drag by a few days as well since it's… Chinese New Year! Yay!

Many thanks to **Leeshyloo** and **Chihiro no Ryuu** for the reviews though! They've really kept me emotionally energized! Heh (: Thanks a lot guys! Hearts for y'all! And I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I couldn't wait so there's gonna be some plot starting here on now. Hold on tight yea! :D

Till the next chapter! Good night!~


	20. Happy Birthday, Ogino Chihiro

The Lost Spirit: Happy Birthday, Ogino Chihiro

A/N: Happy Chinese New Year guys! Wishing you all a prosperous new year! ^^ By the way, just a lame joke for the new year I got from my senior:

What's the gender of this year? Female, cuz' it's the year of the 'she'. (She = Snake) I can't type in Chinese! This sucks! =="

* * *

Chihiro: *covers Haku's eyes* Guess who?

Haku: The idiot I'm madly in love with?

Chihiro: I'm not an idiot, baka.

Haku: Really?

Chihiro: Takes one to know one.

Haku: Right back at'cha, baka.

* * *

[Chihiro's P.O.V]

I quickly slipped into Haku's room to tell him where I was going and dashed out, not giving him a chance to object or even react, for that matter. He was such a grumpy old man every time I said I wanted to visit the goblin… Come to think about it, I still didn't know his name… Quickly making a mental note to ask for it, I steadily avoided the muddy areas of the wet grass from the huge downpour the night before. The bushes and leaves glistened with morning dew and leftover raindrops flowing down their broad green palms gracefully.

Soon, the little cottage came into view and I jogged speedily towards it, my head turning about in hope of catching a glimpse of the goblin. As I came into the open, I looked around but to my dismay, saw no one there.

Running through my fingers through my hair impatiently, I walked over to the cottage and gaped at the sight. I hadn't expected to see the cottage newly furnished and built. It looked the same way it did before, as if nothing had happened to it in the first place. Suddenly, my ear was being painfully yanked by someone. Then, Haku's hot breath tickled my ear. "Don't just run off like that, Chihiro," he snarled lowly. On instinct, the back of my right hand met his forehead painfully. "Oww! What was that for?" he whined like a kid, breaking away from me. I folded my arms defensively. "You scared me! That was just an instinctual reaction!"

He rubbed his forehead and replied, "So you're instinctively violent? Got it." I rolled my eyes and slapped my cheek to beat the heat out of it. "He's not here, huh. And the cottage's fine now. He's pretty fast for a sneaky goblin," Haku remarked thoughtfully, to which I elbowed him. "Don't say that about him, Haku. You're just really paranoid. Stop being such a girl, sheesh!" Almost instantly my feet left the ground above Haku's head. "Put me down!" I screamed, startled.

"Oh? What's that?" he squeaked in a high-pitched voice like a chipmunk. "You stupid gay dragon! Put me down!" I repeated at the top of my lungs. He then lowered me such that our faces met. "And do gay dragons do this?" he challenged before planting a quick kiss on my lips.

He chose that time to put me down and allow me to stumble and fall like a stunned drunkard. I didn't even feel my butt touch the ground for a few seconds till I regained my senses. "You alright?" he smirked. My heart was in an ecstasy. Heat gathered in my limbs and face, making me feel a little light-headed. I quickly dusted myself and got off the ground, turning away and folding my arms awkwardly. "Don't ignore me like that, Chihiro…" Haku smiled, unfolding my arms and tilting my chin up to face him. His eyes were full of amusement and his hands seemed warmer than usual.

"You're… really…"

"Really what?"

"…" Being tongue-tied was getting on my nerves. And then on impulse, water shot down from the sky and fell nicely on both of us. Haku's drastic change in expression prompted my instant apology. "Sorry…" I cursed inwardly and balled my hands into fists. "Come on, let's get back." He pulled me along by the hand gently.

"We're only 14 years old…" I thought aloud by mistake. Hoping he missed that was basically hoping for him to stop teasing me forever. "Actually, I'm a few thousand years old. And you're 15."

* * *

My jaw dropped the instant my eyes took in the now extravagantly decorated cottage. Glittery party streamers were hung on nearly every wall in sight, balloons of all sizes and colors decorated the floor, making it hard for one to walk on without stepping on and bursting a few loudly. On the table, an even more humungous banquet was placed than usual, and a little hamster and bird were on the sewing machine.

"Surprise, sweetie!" Mom burst in and pulled me into a hug. I was too dazed to even react when Dad carried me up and almost flung me halfway across the room since he was either too weak or I was too heavy. Definitely him being weak. Haku caught me just in time and waved his hand in front of my face just to check that I was still lucid. "What… What is this?" I mumbled.

"That's the first thing you say when someone prepares a party for you?" Granny sauntered over and shooed both Haku and I in. Blushing shyly, I edged closer to the wall since everyone's eyes were fixated on me all of a sudden. "It's okay, I knew you would forget. It's your birthday, Chihiro!" Mom exclaimed, obviously bubbling over in way too much excitement.

"Oh… thanks for all this," I replied with a small smile. "…Are you feeling well, Chihiro?" Dad asked, his smile dropping and placing his hand on my forehead. I quickly waved him off. "Yeah, I am. I just don't really know how I should react…"

"Just be happy and have fun. Go on," Haku nudged me gently away from my beloved wall and towards the 5-layer birthday cake standing proudly in the middle of the table. "Happy birthday, Chihiro!" Everyone chorused, and I struggled not to cover my ears from the booming sound. Despite myself, I forced out a grin and took the knife from Granny to cut the cake. However, it was my first time cutting a 5-layer cake, so I decided to simply cut the bottom layer.

The room erupted into applause and then an unfamiliar voice came. "Happy Birthday, Chihiro!" The minute I turned around, I gasped and almost lost my footing, my swiping hand gripping the table. The table shook and the contents on it bounced about restlessly while the main 5-storey tower almost toppled over had it not been for Granny's quick reflexes. With a swift snap, everything became peaceful and I took that few seconds to breathe in.

"Oh no, did I scare you? I'm so sorry!" The gigantic toddler spoke. I exhaled deeply and stood again. "N-No, you didn't. I was just _surprised. _It's great to see you again, Bo," I smiled sincerely and gave him a tight squeeze. The fabric of his shirt was soft like cotton. He was still as strong, if not stronger than he was the last time I met him. He handed me a birthday card. "Happy birthday!" he beamed.

"Thanks, Bo."

"Now, help yourselves to the food, won't you?" Granny grinned and ushered everyone to the table graciously. I ran my hand over my little stomach. _'Hang in there, little guy…'_

* * *

I settled on the grass, groaning slightly as my stomach complained with a kick. A similar groan came beside me and I didn't have to turn to know it was Haku. We enjoyed the silence for a moment, taking in the pleasant and relaxing scent of the wind. "You seemed a little gloomy back there…" he started.

I sighed. "I don't know why either. Maybe it's because it's been a long time since people have done something like this for me because they sincerely want to instead of just doing it for the sake of their hidden selfish desires. I just didn't know how to react…"

"Mmm…" he nodded and wrapped his warm hand over mine. My heart fluttered at the contact. "I won't say I understand, because I don't, but I can tell you're afraid. Afraid of what, I don't know. Perhaps you don't either. But don't be afraid, because _this_ is real. _We_ are real. You don't have to be afraid anymore."

Pulling me into a hug, I felt my vision blur as tears began to gather. His hand comfortingly stroked my arm and we stayed in that position, enjoying each other's company. "I'm real…" he whispered. And that's when my first tear fell.

* * *

I sneaked out of the room after ensuring everyone was asleep. I crept out silently on tip-toes, being as silent as a mouse. The walls of the once lively place were now a dark dull color barely illuminated by the faint moonlight streaming in through the slightly opened window. Agilely closing the door behind me, I started for the usual training spot. Oddly enough, I had taken a liking for meditating and restoring inner energy using my newly gained powers. I cautiously chose a cleaner spot to sit on.

The absence of the wind made things a little unsettling, but it would have to do. I closed my eyes and concentrated on calling upon the water spirits within me and water soon sprouted in my vision. They grew and grew till my ears picked up the sound of rushing water surrounding me. A rush of adrenaline swept throughout my body as I felt myself connecting with the water steadily. My veins were being filled with raw energy but all of a sudden, my vision was filled with darkness. I started to panic when red, bloody claw-like streaks scratched across the darkness. My eyes flew open, the hovering water above me vanishing.

I was instantly on alert, sensing the danger around me. _'Dang it…'_ I cussed. I wasn't exactly up for fighting for real yet. A low snarl erupted and my head whipped toward my left where a wolf was. Its bloody red and cold, murderous eyes were fixated on its prey and it licked its snout in delightful anticipation. Careful not to make any sudden movements, I tried staying still and took a tiny step back slowly. It did not move. I took another step back. Still it did not move.

Just when a small sigh of relief was about to escape me though, it raised its heel and roared, then came straight for me at the speed of light. Completely unprepared, it knocked the breath out of me and gave me a nice bright red line on the forearm while I stumbled onto the ground with it above me. My arms were barely holding it up. I was aware of the warm, sticky liquid flowing painfully while the disgusting and unsightly drool of the barbaric predator was falling on my cheek.

Deciding to let the angry and annoyed factor weigh out the fear factor in me, I grunted and saw the water spring out and shot the animal off of me. It was pushed off quickly but did an impressive flip in the air before landing on its 4 limbs while I clumsily tried to get up. I tightened the purple hair tie on my hair, afraid it would come off. _'If you're my protective charm, then help me, please!'_

It roared and started off again, but this time, I was determined to outsmart it. Water shot out from the ground and pushed it off its feet. More and more gushes of water hit it, but soon it managed to swiftly dodge them, coming for me even quicker now. It lunged, and I barely dodged it, though it managed to get another cut on my cheek. I hissed and it growled.

I was getting ready for my next move when a dark glow surrounded the wolf. Out sprang 4 identical wolves and a deafening roar shocked the wits out of me. They started coming for me all at once while spinning and mixing about, making me confused as to which was the real one. Trying in a fruitless attempt to hit one of them with a water ball, I was thrown and knocked to the ground hard and the rest of the fakes disappeared.

White dots swam about in my eyes, and I could already guess from the impact I must have hit a rock or some boulder of some sort. I gave up, the dizziness making me feel like puking.

I was too weak to even realize that I was in that dump again.

"My my, are you alright, Ogino Chihiro?" My arms were pulled up roughly, forcing me into a very unstable standing position. I didn't even want to look at who, or _what _was holding me up. "What… do you want..?" I managed out in heavy, ragged breaths. The blood was hardening a little already, but the pain in my head and my arm was still vivid. "You know, you're a very interesting girl, Chihiro. You and that dragon together… how sweet. And you know how things like that irk me from the inside out, don't you?"

I closed my eyes to suppress the vomit that was beginning to pile up in my throat. "Since I'm going to extract the memories from you again, I'm thinking, why not have some fun with you at the same time, hmm? Did you know I can tweak your memories too?"

'_No!'_ I was practically screaming and thrashing inside, but I couldn't do anything other than breathe, or I would really make an embarrassing mess of myself. He couldn't take away my memories; not after I'd finally regained them, not after I'd come to terms with my past, not after I'd reunited with everyone..! "I won't… let you…" I tried to struggle out of the strong hold my arms were in, but I wouldn't budge in the least.

His terrifying laughter filled my eardrums. "You won't let me? How cute, Chihiro! I think you'll amuse me more after I change your memories; and don't worry, you'll have a lot of fun as well, I promise!"

A tear slid down my face in a silent plea for help as I recalled Haku's face for the last time before slipping into unconsciousness with the same bats from before scurrying towards me with their shrill screams.

"Oh and before I- _we_ forget, happy birthday, Ogino Chihiro."

'_Goodbye, Haku.'_

* * *

A/N: Reading back, this was badly written but I'm too sleepy and I've already edited it the best I can since, well, I am still largely limited in writing so hehe… :P Hoho so what do you think about this chapter? Review please! (:

Thank you **WhiteTiger246, EasternWindDragon, Scarlet Ammo 19, Carly, Leeshyloo** **and** **michelle88222** for the reviews! :D Oh and to **buttercupnbutch4ever** for the recent one too! :D They were really cute and sweet! ^^

Carly: Well, since I can't reply to your review via PM, I guess I'll do it here haha. You know, that was a really good guess you made! But not exactly correct heehee! You'll know in due time yea! And thanks for the lovely encouragement! 3 God bless! ;)


	21. Searching

The Lost Spirit: Searching

A/N: *grabs tray for cover* Don't hit me! I'll cry! Waahhh… :'(

Anyway here's the next chapter (: Nice to know you guys 'liked' the cliffhanger yea! Heehee hopefully this will cheer up your Monday, and not make it bluer. Yeah. I know. I get Monday blues too. But now I'm happy because I just ate! ^^

So to kick-start the chapter, let's have the dialogue! This is definitely one of my favorite fluffy dialogues of all time ;)

* * *

Chihiro: *trips and falls* Oww!

Haku: You okay?

Chihiro: I think I sprained my stupid ankle… *cusses*

Haku: *picks her up effortlessly and continues walking*

Chihiro: *blushes* H-Hey! Put me down! Lemme go! I can walk!

Haku: What makes you think I'll ever let you go? *winks*

* * *

[Haku's P.O.V]

"Where. Could. She. Be." My teeth were gritted in great fury and brows creased in extreme concern as I scoured the entire cottage for her for the sixth time, though already knowing that she wasn't anywhere. "Haku," Yuko started again. "Stop it, she's left the place. She _left. Again._" I snapped, regretting it a little when she winced and a hurt expression crossed her features.

"She wouldn't. We talked to her the other time. All of us have seen the change in her, and we know it full well. Why would she leave? Did she get lost?" Akio stepped in, his hands tenderly rubbing his wife's shoulder and arms. She looked ready to burst into sobs at any moment like the flustered mother she was.

Choosing to feign ignorance—and poorly at that—I sprinted out of the cottage at lightning speed, hearing some chairs get knocked over in the process and Zeniba hurling some chiding comments at me and some comforting remarks to calm me down. But no, nothing was going to compose me. Chihiro was in trouble. Every part of my body was screaming in alarm. My dragon flew up in the skies, flying about mindlessly in all my confusion, trying desperately to catch even the faintest whiff of her scent that could lead me to her.

'_Chihiro!'_ I roared loudly.

'_Kohaku, calm down! You can't achieve anything if you think with your dragon! Use your head, boy!'_ A voice spoke into my head. I grunted, knowing Zeniba had already tapped into my subconscious. After roaring continuously for another 5 minutes, my throat was hoarse and scratchy, and I was probably going to be a mute for the next few days, I knew.

'_Think, Haku.'_

Chihiro didn't know much about the area, so she couldn't have gone far. She could have gone to the goblin's cottage, but why sneak out at night just to see him? She wouldn't. She had the habit to inform me when she was going to visit, evidently an effort to prevent the same outburst from me the last time. So the only other possible place could be…

My dragon veered towards the right sharply and started off at the quickest speed possible. Sneaking off at night just to practice sounded so much like her. She had the strangest way of making me want to scold yet at the same time smile lovingly at her, even in such an emergent situation. Further danger was clearly imminent; I could feel it. Either that, or… I gulped. No, she would be safe. She just had to be. If something ever happened to her, I had no idea how I was going to ever keep a cool head.

In a minute I arrived at the usual place. Her scent was everywhere, but it wasn't the same. Because mixed with her scent was the strong smell of her sweet _blood._

Instantly jumping to the worst possible conclusion, my heart seized with fear and pain, and my dragon hesitated to move in for clearer investigation. _'Haku, whatever's going on?'_ I growled, not in the mood for any further aggravation. I needed to go and not foolishly float around making assumptions, but how could I? What if something had really happened to her? I would never be able to handle the truth. _'I understand how you feel now, Haku. We're all worried about her, but please, for our sake, for her sake, go and confirm what has happened. From there, we'll figure something out. We promise,' _Zeniba said tenderly, her panic hidden deeply.

_Promise._ Sucking in a deep breath through my flared nostrils, I soaked in the comforting winds for a moment, letting it whisper its assurances in my ear.

Having had better grip on my emotions now, I closed in, using her blood's calling scent as a clear guide. The alarm ringing in my ears grew till I came and landed at the scene.

Dark reddish-brown of dried blood stuck to a boulder lying innocently on the grass that a couple meters away from it had drops of blood scattered about randomly. Her blood was calling out to my senses, and it took everything I had to maintain a decent level of self-control. What was alerting me was not her blood anymore; but it was the scent of a demon.

My claws dug deep into the soil and I let anger take its time to fuel, making my eyes go absolutely livid. 'Hades…' I growled, and with a dry but deafening roar, I shot up to the skies, the wind guardians directing me to my next stop.

* * *

[Toranosuke's P.O.V]

"Master," I greeted solemnly. I glanced at the hovering unconscious girl but hadn't the heart to look further. My head turned sharply, a pang of sadness washing over me. She had done nothing to deserve such a cruel, tragic fate. I remained in my respectful position, waiting silently for Master who was still meditating.

My eyes tried their best to avert the once human girl, but even so, the image of her sufferings was already etched into my mind. I was having thoughts no demon should have. Thoughts that were dangerous. Thoughts that were not going to be of any advantage. Chihiro… She was a very special girl, though that trait was obviously both a blessing and a curse.

We'd spent such little time interacting, but yet I could still develop a certain sense of protection and care for her; I wonder how. The others would definitely say she'd somehow managed to seduce the disgusting creature I was, and that I had very bad tastes in the opposite sex. Scoffing internally at the thought, my brows creased into a small, unnoticeable puzzled expression. I certainly did not have any of those feelings of the sort towards her, unlike the rest who were so very interested in the 'lustful acts' that they forced unto unsuspecting, naïve and vulnerable female spirits from time to time when their desires were ripe.

Chihiro… how could I put it? There was something _different_ about her that made me want to protect her, even possibly disregarding my pledged loyalty to Master. My clawed, scarred hands were having spasms of sorts, and I curled them into tight fists to keep them under control; they seemed to have developed a mind of their own and were having a heated debate within as to saving the pitiable girl from Master. _'You will not do anything of the sort, Toranosuke!'_ I screamed inside, commanding with all the authority I could muster and hurling it at the disobedient bit of my heart.

"I see you've come."

My head jerked up towards the glowing god before me, and all thoughts were washed away. One could practically feel the power radiating off of Master, power that induced much fear. He was practically basking in all his glory, his maroon eyes filled with life. The bats, one by one, began to leave the body and I kept myself from looking. "Yes, Master. What assistance do you require from your humble slave?" I lowered my head in all due respect.

"You may rise… Hmm… where's your human form, Toranosuke? I haven't seen it in quite a while," he hummed. However confused, I complied and shape-shifted into my human form, a form I hadn't used in a long time. Short and dark, hazel hair hid my eyes slightly, a black tunic coupled with simple grey knee-length pants and a pair of simple sandals. A black earring adorned my left ear, and I didn't have to look to know that the mark on my left waist was still there.

I stood at attention, both arms at my sides. My face was kept unreadable, erased of all emotion. "Ahh… I was just about to forget how handsome you are in your human form, Toranosuke." Bowing my head in silent thanks, I watched as he continued to study me with vague interest. "Go tend to the girl, for me, will you?"

I nodded, and was about to step aside towards her in all my eagerness, but wisely stopped myself first. "Master, what would you like to be done with her afterwards? Is it your plan to keep her in here?"

An evil smile sneaked its way onto his energized face. "I plan to have some fun with her and the dragon boy for now. I will send her back, and- Oh, why am I telling you all this? I shan't spoil the surprise for you; find out how to play the game by yourself with your cleverness, won't you, my most _trusted_ helper?"

I almost blinked stupidly, but gnawed at my gums in quick realization. With hasty efforts, I somehow managed to mask my anxiety perfectly though. "Yes, Master. As you wish. Will you be sending us off now?"

A white flash of his teeth and I carefully approached the still unconscious girl before the surroundings slowly faded into thick greenery. We were probably in the forest a short distance away from the cottage. I watched her carefully, the dawn of realization hitting me hard. Master knew. He knew it all.

"Damn it!" I slammed my knuckles into the rough, scratchy bark of a tree beside me, frustration letting loose. I should never have underestimated Master. And knowing him, we were probably being watched. Under very careful eyes of his other 'helpers'.

This would not do. My eyes snapped to the sleeping girl and ever gently, I cradled her in my arms as if she were a fragile doll with porcelain skin and lifted her up before stalking off, careful not to jerk her out of her dreams. Or nightmares.

* * *

[Chihiro's P.O.V]

I felt something moist and cool on my forehead. Squinting my eyes, the dull pain in the back of my head began to build as I slowly regained more bits of consciousness. The darkness was beginning to scare me, but opening my eyes didn't seem like an option too soon. Discomfort piled up at the back of my throat, unsightly contents threatening to spill should I exert too much effort on my body.

"Hush… Just relax. You're safe now… You're going to be alright." A clear voice came. The first thing I felt was panic, and soon I could hear faint ringing in my ears that clearly did not belong there, but as soon as it came, the anxiety left and in its place was plain, simple reassurance. Miraculously, the voice was calming. It flowed sweetly like honey and I found myself wanting to hear more. A little whimper escaped my slightly parted lips, and to my delight, the voice came again. "There's nothing to fear, Chihiro."

'_Chihiro..?'_ Was that supposed to be my name? I racked my brains for any recollection, but it only brought great dizziness and pain, as if someone were slamming an axe down on my skull. There was nothing. I couldn't help groaning softly when the pain refused to die down. "Relax and breathe," he said. I had no idea why I was trusting this stranger or why I was obeying his every word and clinging onto them so tightly as if it were a life vest thrown to a drowning me in a river. Maybe it was because he did not show any intention of harming me, or maybe it was because he was probably the one who saved me from whatever had happened before.

Willing my eye lids to open, through the small slits I was offered a blurred vision of the area I was in. It seemed that I was lying on a bed and it took a while for my eyes to adjust, though it still wouldn't allow me to see much. My pupils shifted from the right to the left slowly, and to my left at the bedside was the vague outline of the build of a young man. I couldn't gauge his age, nor could I even catch a glimpse of his face.

A name formed in the back of my throat, but nothing came out of my parched throat. The dull pain was starting to increase, but stubbornly I kept my eyes open that much till his outstretched hand stroked my head soothingly, at the same time removing the towel.

With my shut eyes, I heard the gentle sound of water dipping and then water falling with rhythmic clattering into a bowl or container before the now ice cold and wet cloth was back on my forehead. "Come, open up," he cooed. Something wet touched my cracked lips and my mouth opened a little, allowing the liquid to soothe and ease my thirst. I wanted to chug it down faster; my throat was literally begging for more, but I was forced to drink at the slow pace he was pouring the water in with surprising accuracy, other than a few stray drops of water that would slide down my chin and wiped away swiftly by him.

Finally, with my thirst gladly and satisfyingly quenched, he wrapped the soft sheets around my body. "Go back to sleep, now. You need to rest."

Exhaustion caught up with my body and just before I could fall into a slumber, the syllables left my mouth with great contentment. "Tora…" With a tiny smile, sleep washed over me.

* * *

A/N: So… how was the chapter? And how was the dialogue? :D Please don't cry! Oh, if you're sad then it makes me sad too :'( Waahh… Review please? Heehee! And before I forget, thanks **Jess2709, EasternWindDragon, toastedCroissants, Leeshyloo, WhiteTiger246** (LOL why were you a guest? Hahahaha), **Bloodrose and Carly** for your reviews!

I was so touched. Aww! *heart* :')

Bloodrose: HAHAHA OMG I thought I was gonna get a heart attack right then and there :P How did you find this chapter though? And was the update quick enough? ;D Thanks for the review!

Carly: Thanks aww! That's really sweet hehe ahh but I still have a LOT to improve on… But I really appreciate the encouragement! :D It really touched my heart. *touches heart* And I'm not just saying—or doing—that yea. ;)


	22. Small Beginnings

The Lost Spirit: Small Beginnings

A/N: Arrghh busy busy busy… I'm so sorry for the delayed update but I've been really busy this weekend and then the week was so UGH! It sucks to the core! You do not want to rush out the script for a 10 minute play through the weekend because that's just… BLEHH.

Now, enough of my nonsense and on with the chapter! :D Let's start off with a really, really lame dialogue, shall we?

* * *

Haku: You know, I don't have a heart anymore.

Chihiro: What? Why?! Oh no… not another corny joke…

Haku: Cuz' you stole it~

Chihiro: *flatly* What are you talking about? You don't even have a heart.

Haku: ): … *pouts*

* * *

"_Chihiro…"_ The raspy, hoarse whispers resonated throughout the blank, white area I was stuck in. _"Chihiro…" _

The spooky sounds sent my head whirling in all directions uneasily, and I swallowed thickly. My head throbbed, as if someone or something were trying to pry it open with brute force. _"Chihiro…"_ they repeated time and again, with each syllable threatening to let the scream that was stuck rather securely in the back of my dry throat out. It was white all around, and nothing was in it except for me. Yet, those voices could be head so clearly. They sounded like many people surrounding me from behind, and unless they were invisible, there was only emptiness in their place.

"Who… are you..?" I heard a girl speak with a throaty, squeaky voice I did not recognize. _"Chihiro…"_ they continued, ignoring the question. _"Chihiro…"_ The sounds began to get louder, their airy, ragged breaths seeming to be felt on my exposed skin. Involuntarily, I dropped to a squat and my hands covered my ears, protecting them from whatever evil I was hearing, but still, it was no use.

Their voices were heard as crystal clearly as ever, and beginning to feel the pure fright seep into my body, I looked at my body to find it fading away.

"_Chihiro…" _A final shiver and I blacked out.

Waking up with a start, I flipped the covers off my warm body violently, my chest heaving with every pant. My big eyes stared ahead blankly, trying to adjust and refocus on the blurry surroundings. When things looked clearly, it took a mere second for my brain to register the unfamiliar surroundings.

The room was kind of small, the four cream walls not very tall for an average house. There was a small window at the near top of the wall to my right to allow some sort of ventilation. The caramel tiles on the floor were swept spotless and honestly, there wasn't much in the room other than a wardrobe beside the bed and a plain, old cupboard. The doorframe stood a few meters away from me, and I was tempted to go and explore the little place, but something held me back. Literally.

At first instinct, I froze in my position uncomfortably, terrified of turning around. My heart thumped loudly against my chest, and I felt my face drain of its color as different thoughts zoomed across my mind like asteroids. Monster, demon, alien, monster, bad guy, kidnapper.

"Chihiro," the voice spoke. _"Chihiro…"_ I gasped and tried to pull my arm out of the stranger's grasp, but his arm held steadfastly there. His other hand reached out to touch my shoulder, forcing me to turn around and face him.

With no time to prepare myself for the worst, I settled for pathetically keeping my eyes shut. I waited, as the silence grew thick in the room. His hold gradually loosened into a gentle one, and that was when I discovered the warmth of his hands. Inviting warmth that tempted me to open my eyes and see for myself who this mysterious man was.

"Don't be scared, I won't hurt you," he said, and I could sense a hint of a smile on his face. Scrunching up a little, I hesitantly opened up one eye, looking down and then finally my other eye since it was annoying to have only one eye open while the other saw oblivion. My vision was drawn stubbornly to the sheets, catching a glimpse of his clothes.

A pair of simple, slightly worn gray pants covered his thighs, but the bulging muscles could never be missed. A huge clue to that would have been his huge, muscular calves. I doubted they could be fats since there didn't seem to be any signs of flabby meat under his tunic that was the shade of dark night. "Do I look that bad?"

His voice carried unspoken humor and gentle urging for me to place my trust in him. Unknowingly, with further coaxing, my eyes met his dark orbs that made my heart almost skip a beat. He smiled at me, a smile that brought out a sense of reassurance in me. The corners of my lips turned up ever slightly in automatic response to his hospitality. For a moment I just stared at him dumbly, forgetting completely about everything else.

His dark, hazel hair dropped down his forehead, part of his nicely messed up bangs mysteriously hiding a little of his right eye. A very simple black earring adorned his ears and contrasted greatly against his fair complexion. He had a nice face, I supposed. What enchanted me most was the secrecy behind those deep brown eyes of his. They seemed to hide something, and before I could stop myself, I leaned in a little, staring intently at him, trying to figure him out.

That was until he abruptly coughed and shook me out of my absurd thinking. My face burned and I shifted back awkwardly, looking away in an attempt to hide my face which was surely red as a tomato. What was I doing checking him out? I didn't even know this stranger, let alone be able to judge his trustworthiness. A few moments of awkward silence passed between us, letting me drown in embarrassment for what seemed like decades.

"I suppose you're hungry?"

My head snapped up in attention, and I was about to shake my head when my stomach made some weird noises to answer his question. My ears felt warmer than usual and he chuckled lightly. "I'll get your food. Just wait here, alright?"

He was about to leave when my hand found its way to his tunic and tugged at it. The guy turned around and gave me a prodding look, but my mind was blank. I didn't know why I pulled his shirt in the least! It was probably stupid reflexes, but a small worm carrying a certain fear of loneliness chewed its way in, and I knew being alone wasn't exactly something I was up to for now.

"Stay… please..?" I thought I'd have to repeat myself because the quiet voice that came out was barely audible, but his actions showed he'd heard me just fine.

He sat back at the side of the bed and tucked me back in. "My name's Toranosuke," he introduced rather formally.

"I… My name is…"

"Chihiro. I know," his reply came so smoothly, I almost marveled at it or almost smacked myself in frustration. "How do you know my name?"

"We've met before," came his vague answer. I wanted to ask more, but a sudden coughing fit stopped my speech. "Drink this," he calmly handed a glass of water, one hand patting my back. With bleary eyes, I thanked him and nearly choked on the water.

"Feel better?" I nodded, coughing out a little before stopping. My stomach made more noises now, obviously getting grumpier by the second. "Looks like I better start cooking lunch. If you want, you can follow me?"

To that, I nodded very eagerly, tired of having to stay put on the bed. As my bare feet felt the cooling tiles, I nearly lost my balance, my muscles being stiff and all. His hand hovered behind my back to catch me in case I did fall, but thank goodness for once, clumsiness did not get the better of me. I rolled my neck about, trying to soothe the aches. I couldn't help but wonder how long I'd been out.

"Sit down on the couch, will you? I don't want you moving about." Feigning ignorance, I stubbornly followed him into the kitchen where he sighed in defeat after failing to get me to sit down like a good girl 6 times. "Fine, stubborn girl. Help me peel the carrots if you really want to stay here," he stated, shooting my cheeky face a flat look.

Reaching for the peeler beside the sink, I heard a resounding crack come from my arm. Oh well, time for my muscles to get accustomed to moving again.

* * *

"Stop gorging yourself; this isn't a competition," Toranosuke scolded half-heartedly, eyes on me as he continued indulging in the grand fragrance of the simple dishes.

"I'm hungry. And that coming from the one who's also stuffing himself like this is war doesn't sound convincing at all, don't you think?" I retorted triumphantly. He glowered at me but said nothing, and instead resumed stuffing the remaining bits of food stuck messily in the bowl into his mouth. When he was done, he slammed the bowl on the table, making me jump.

"I win."

His snicker dropped though when I started choking on my food from the surprise. "Dang, I'm sorry! Are you feeling alright?" He handed me the glass of water standing peacefully on the table while I struggled to swallow some chewed chunks of meat instead of spitting them out not so glamorously.

As I chugged down the water, it flowed nicely and soothingly down my throat, effectively and perhaps almost magically curing me. "Feel better?" His worried eyes met my teary ones and I wiped the moist that was making my vision go all blurry away. "Yeah, I'm fine. No need to worry." I shot back sardonically, but when his expression descended to that of a hurt one, I immediately bit my tongue, regretting my words.

"I mean, it's really no big deal. Thanks, Tora," I smiled. A tiny smile appeared on his face and I sighed in relief. "Tora?"

"Uh, it's… just a short form for your name; I'm lazy to say the other 3 syllables… ahah…" I stammered a little too nervously, forgetting that I was being too informal with a stranger. Well, he wasn't exactly a stranger anymore; I'd spent only about… 3 hours with him? He seemed nice enough though. Ah, who cares! I just need to straighten things out about my current situation. Questions swirled my head all at once like vultures circling their prey. I only snapped out of my spaced out trance when it dawned on me that Tora was staring at me with vague interest and amusement.

"So… want to tell me what you're so busy thinking about?"

I nodded slowly, but nothing came to mind that I actually wanted to ask about. I just knew that I didn't know certain things, but... what, exactly? "I'll clear the dishes, and you take your time to think, alright? No hurry, and I'll fill you in later. Go lie down or sit on the couch like the well-behaved kid you are."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I'm not a kid."

He smirked and without another word, sauntered off into the kitchen, carrying the few bowls and plates, balancing them perfectly well on his well-toned forearms.

* * *

"Who am I? Is my name Chihiro? How did I end up here? Where is this place? Is this where I live? What happened to me before? An-" Before I knew it, his hand was over my mouth, shutting me up pretty well. "One question at a time, please. I can't answer everything at one go; it's too overwhelming. Be patient, alright?"

His expectant gaze made me nod dumbly and he dropped his hand. "Okay, so for your first and second question, your name is Ogino Chihiro. You are a 15-year-old girl. And before I continue, do you even remember how you look like?"

My eyes widened. That hadn't even crossed my mind. "I can show you your reflection, but not with a mirror since as you can tell, there is no mirror. But just don't freak out, okay?" I nodded slowly, his statement making my brows crease in puzzlement. What could he possibly show me that would make me freak out that badly?

As if to answer my question, he brought up his large palm and muttering a few words I didn't quite catch under his breath, his palm started becoming more and more wavy, similar to ripples in a pond. The ripples got bigger and bigger, and the middle of his palm began to fade in a way. But before I could shout some kind of warning, he brought his index finger calmly to his lips and his eyes gestured to his palm gently.

Complying, I forced myself to look down, resisting the growing urge to regurgitate the contents of lunch, and to my wonder and fascination, in the middle of his palm was a very nice, watery-like mirror. He held up his palm a little bit away from my face, for me to take a look.

The reflection was clear. I didn't know whether the squeak that came from me was from the shock of seeing his palm in that manner or recalling how I actually looked. The blinking girl staring at me had deep brown hair, the same shade as Tora's, and the same brown orbs as his. Her soft pink rosy cheeks had the same fair complexion as him, and for a second there, I wondered if we were actually related.

I had nothing to decorate my ears—and I believe I would have preferred it that way just fine—and my hair was let down, straight hair going down to my mid-back. A little spark of panic arose in me, and I knew something was amiss. I started groping around the sheets, trying to identify that item I knew was definitely missing. The feeling in my gut could not be wrong.

"Are you looking for something?" he asked, as usual, always able to read my mind. Or my actions. "Yes… I don't know what, though."

"I think I just might have the item you're looking for," he grinned and held up a very pretty, sparkly hair tie that seemed to emit a very faint purple glow. It seemed so familiar, but as soon as my eyes were set on it, relief flooded me and I anxiously reached for it, sighing contentedly when I felt its soft fabric on my little palms.

"Smile more, Chihiro."

I glanced up at the smiling young man before me. "You look cute when you smile," he grinned, showing off a nicely carved dimple on his right cheek. I felt a blush come on, and hid my face in embarrassment at the compliment. "Th-Thank you… You look nice when you smile too…"

He chuckled and I returned a nervous one in response. Tora patted me on the back comfortingly. "You're an amazing girl, Chihiro."

* * *

A/N: I'm annoyed… Because it's past 10 and I haven't finished up my work… But I just couldn't stop writing once I started so tough luck for me. *sigh* So anyway, thanks for all the reviews **Ialiceiamagodness, WhiteTiger246, EasternWindDragon, buttercupnbutch4ever, Leeshyloo, michelle88222 and Carly!~**

Yeahh… I know how you feel. Frustrating every time Haku isn't with Chihiro, but can't be helped. :P Because you got a sadistic author like me. Mwahahaha. But don't worry; I won't be so sadistic to my favorite couple (other than Howl and Sophie OMG I JUST WATCHED IT IT'S SO GOOD! DAYUM HOWL'S LIKE AN OLDER VERSION OF HAKU WITH A SEXY VOICE!) *cough* ahem.

Thanks guys! And leave a review? What do you think of Toranosuke now eh? Or should I say, Tora?

P.S. Congrats to me on using lesser 'haha's this time round. Yeap, I started counting. :P

Carly: Ahahaha thanks for the compliment ;) You can't wait to read more of wheat? Try rice! (Lame. Cough.) Thanks for the review haha! :D


	23. Two Sides

The Lost Spirit: Two Sides

Haku: Seriously, why do you keep doing that?

Chihiro: Doing what?

Haku: Making my heart beat so fast every time I see you.

* * *

[Haku's P.O.V]

'_Please be safe, Chihiro. All I ask is that you'll be safe…' _

I soared through the skies, and though I hadn't rested for a few days, I couldn't care less. Fatigue wouldn't stop me. And I'd stored enough energy in my body to handle another 3 days. I probably looked like a white bullet train in the sky to any stray forest spirit lingering around the deserted area. It'd been a grueling journey and I was close to pushing my limit. I'd still need some energy should there be a need to defend myself.

That wouldn't be too much of a problem, though. I was currently fueling energy from fanning my anger. I was getting more and more pissed off by the minute which made my dragon pick up the pace, to my satisfaction. The sickening pungent smell of the place indicated that I was near. And I was probably not going to be allowed entry again by the 3 imbeciles.

As I neared the entrance, the demons stood there as usual like marionettes, their faces stiff like boulders. The entrance was as grand as ever, the pair of ugly, dull tomb doors with ancient witch curses engraved on the millenniums old rock. And behind that very door was highly likely where Chihiro was being held. Hopefully I wasn't too late this time. I failed her once and certainly did not wish for another replay of it.

My pace died down and I made my way over to the demons. Without waiting for them to ask, I hastily stated my name again amidst a flurry of silver scales flying everywhere. "Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi. I request an audience with your master with regards to Ogino Chihiro."

"You again, dragon?" the first demon barked.

"Unfortunately, yes," I returned dryly.

"Get lost, dragon. The girl isn't here." The more sensible and stern demon stepped out. He obviously did not take a fond liking to wasting time, which was probably the only thing both of us had in common.

"What do you mean she isn't here?" A sinking feeling began to drag my spirits into deep trenches of nothing.

"I meant what I said. She isn't here. You're too late."

* * *

[Chihiro's P.O.V]

"What're you doing?" Tora appeared by my side and dragged me away from the door. I pouted. "Can't I go out for a while? It's a really nice day. Please, Tora?"

He sent me a flat look in response like he'd done so many times already in the past week. "Stay put for now. It's still dangerous outside."

I pouted even more. "But you won't even tell me what's so dangerous about going out to enjoy the weather!"

"Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand, Chihiro," he sighed.

"How do you know I won't know if you won't tell me?"

"We've gone through this many times already. Come on, if not I'm going to tickle the hell out of you."

That sent my teeth going down on my tongue. His tickling attacks really couldn't be underestimated. The last time I had one, I almost died of a lack of breath. And that wasn't even as bad as compared to the muscle pains in my abdomen. "You don't have enough abs, do you?" was what he'd taunted before sauntering out of the room.

Grumbling internally, I plopped myself on the sheets and stared at the ceiling. I was much too hyper-active today to be cooped up in the house. Tora came trailing after me, folding his arms casually. "So what do you want to do today?"

"Go outside."

He shot me a playful warning look and I beamed at him cynically. "Anything _else _you want to do?"

I hummed to myself, wondering what we could do. We'd experimented about in the kitchen, stepped on each other's toes, given scary piggy-back rides (which I couldn't offer given my strength), talked a little about my past and had fights over who would do the dishes.

"Maybe we could-"

"Tell me more about my past, then. I still can't remember much."

That weird expression came on his face right on cue. It was kind of like surprise, awkwardness, ruefulness, sadness and frustration all mashed together in a strange concoction that distorted his face in that way. That was his expression every time I asked to talk about what had happened to me. He would merely keep mum about everything unless it came down to insignificant, minor details that he still wouldn't provide much elaboration on.

"What do you want to know?" he inquired carefully for some unknown reason.

"Well, I already know my name, how I look, who you are, how old I am, got the purple hair tie back, and some other minute details that are kind of irrelevant. So I think I could start with my parents? I would like to think that I was born and not hatched or found in a garbage can, if you know what I mean."

Tora held back a chuckle and smiled softly. "You have parents, Chihiro."

"But you haven't told me anything about them…"

"I know. But for now, I don't think I want to release too much to you. It might be too overwhelming for you to know."

As I registered his words, a mixture of torn anxiousness and happiness welled up in me. Had something bad happened to them? Was it something that would be too much for me to know? "Where are they, Tora? Why haven't I seen them? Are they alright?"

His eyes widened slightly in surprise, but then he continued to keep mum. Was it hurt that clouded his eyes, or was it guilt seeded deep within? I couldn't tell. That was why I wanted to know all the more. Something had happened, and I didn't like the idea of being kept in the dark at all. "Say something, Tora. Just tell me the truth, please. I promise I won't freak out on you," I pleaded earnestly, and I could tell he was being pulled towards the decision of telling me.

Hope of victory surged and I continued to press him. "Please, Tora. As a daughter I really need to know what has happened. I don't even know who they are, let alone if they're alright! Please, just tell me…"

"Their names are Ogino Akio and Ogino Yuko. They're alright, Chihiro. Please don't worry about them."

'_Akio… Yuko… Otou-san, Okaa-san…' _Their names rang such a familiar, resonant and homey bell in my mind. It was then that I realized the emptiness I felt inside. I must have missed my home so very much, and all I wanted now was to go back, to return and see for myself who my parents were. Unknowingly, my legs had brought me to the door of the room, but Tora was holding me back from taking a step outside.

"Where are my parents?" My voice was peculiarly soft. Tora delicately brought his gentle fingers to wipe the moisture I hadn't realized was there off of my face. "They're safe," was his simplistic reply.

"Aren't they in some sort of trouble?" I asked.

Now he looked confused. "What? Where did you get that idea from?"

"Isn't it some kind of news that might be too overwhelming for me to bear?" Now I was getting more and more puzzled.

Something seemed to have clicked in him right then. "What? Oh, I'm sorry, Chihiro. I didn't mean it that way. I meant that you having just recuperated shouldn't try to get your memories back too quickly. It might make you feel a little too overwhelmed at once."

I heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. Jeez, and you had me really worried for a second there!" He chuckled good-naturedly. "I apologize."

Then, restlessly, I got off the bed and started pacing back and forth, my mind a blank. I wanted to know so much about my parents. I wanted to know how they looked like, how they were like, and to remember the times that we had shared together. But, Tora never really explained why they hadn't come for me since I was supposedly in a small coma previously.

"Tora, I want to go back home."

"You can't. Not at the moment." His voice was a little too cold for my liking and made me feel an abrupt sense of threat.

I nearly yanked my arm away from his grasp, surprising myself with my sudden change in emotion in such a short time. Perhaps it was a girl thing. "Why not?" My voice was raised slightly and now my eyes were sharply focused on Tora, who looked a little hurt and dumbfounded, to say the least. He looked down, hazel hair hiding his nice eyes and held his peace for a few agonizing moments before finally throwing out a question.

"…Do you trust me, Chihiro?"

It threw me off guard completely. Did I trust Tora? He was a stranger, but no, he probably wasn't anymore; after all, I'd spent a week with him already and he did seem to be nice enough. But I wasn't sure about anything. I couldn't give a definite answer as to whether he was trustworthy or not. Could I be sure that he was a trustworthy companion and friend instead of some scheming bad guy? A scowl must have appeared on my face because Tora was letting go with an even more downcast and depressed expression than before.

The thought of Tora being a bad guy was simply too outrageous and ridiculous, but I had no idea what I was getting so unnecessarily worked up for. Tora wasn't a bad guy. End of story. And I knew that, so what was I still mulling over for?

"I do trust you, Tora. I-"

My sentence was cut short abruptly though, when I found myself enveloped in Tora's embrace. "I'm sorry. Everything is my fault." Then, leaning in closer such that his breath was felt very intimately on my ear, his voice softened considerably in a grave tone.

"Stay calm; don't feel alarmed or scared. Right now, there's a crow very near the cottage and it can hear our conversation crystal clearly. It's spying on us, and I need you to hush about the memories bit for now; at least until it leaves. Remember, you're the one keeping your parents safe now. I'm sorry for being unable to explain much now, but as long as you trust me and follow me, I dare to guarantee and promise everything will be fine. Can you promise me that?"

I nodded in a daze. My beating heart was actually almost the only thing that filled my ears and I had to squint my ears a little to be able to focus on him, however minimal my concentration level was. I doubt I'd been in such close proximity with another guy before. Well, then again, if I had, I wouldn't remember. But this was different. Since regaining consciousness I'd never been so close to Tora. It was kind of scary, yet strangely, I could feel some other unrecognizable feeling that was making my cheeks hot and my ears red.

Tora let go, and I mentally scolded myself for feeling a little upset at that. He smiled. _'Follow my lead; it's just another day as usual. We'll just keep doing things like always and have fun, okay?'_ his voice echoed in my head. I grinned and headed over to the kitchen, there being the only place both of us knew what to do naturally. "Well, I'm starving, so I'll forgive you if you make me some good lunch!" I said over my shoulder.

As I busied myself with getting the utensils and groceries out the cupboards, I made a mental note to squeeze more details out of him later when that annoying spy was gone.

* * *

[Haku's P.O.V]

I slammed the door behind me, and by the sound of it, I probably almost knocked it right off its hinges. I needed to be alone for a while. "Haku, Haku!" The bunch of them banged the door. "Nigahayami Kohaku Nushi!" More banging.

A loud, threatening snarl from me made it silent for a moment outside. _'Your name is, the Kohaku River!'_ Chihiro's little voice rang in my head. I punched the cold brick walls in agitation. I wasn't in the mood nor did I have the patience to put up with more whining or comfort from the rest. All I truly needed was some peace and quiet.

More awkward shuffling of footsteps came from outside the door before they finally left me alone in the intensity of painful silence.

The salty smell of tears filled my nostrils as they spilled out of my tear ducts. "I'm sorry, Chihiro. I've failed you. Again. I'm a useless good-for-nothing who can't even protect the girl he loves!" Punching the wall, pain spread from my swollen and bleeding knuckles to the rest of my arm. Must have hit struck a nerve literally. But I didn't care. The pain was nothing compared to the turmoil I was feeling. The pain was nothing compared to what Chihiro was most probably currently going through.

Oh, but could she even feel pain? She didn't remember anything anymore. She probably was like a stray puppy lost, frightened, in search of a home. She was probably out there somewhere, crying her eyes out and drowning in such fear, and yet here I was..!

"Damn it!" I cursed and cursed all the profanities I could think of as lightning lit up the sky with a glaring flash.

* * *

A/N: Okay I made it within the 2 week deadline! This week I had 4 tests (funny how the school doesn't permit more than 3 tests per week eh) and I was dead busy last weekend doing homework and revising for chemistry (I'm not a math and science person, just saying)… So now I'm pooped and yeah amidst all my sudden spamming of ideas for random stories I decided to do the next chapter and boom I couldn't stop. (:

Please leave a review? I'd really like to know what you guys think of the chapter or the story as a whole! ^^

Thanks to **Ialiceiamagodness, WhiteTiger246, EasternWindDragon, Leeshyloo, toastedCroissants, Carly and Guest** for your endearing reviews for the previous chapter! (: I truly appreciate it! Thanks guys! :3

Stay tuned for the next chapter! Next week I probably won't update because I still have a test plus more homework and project work due, so let's just wait till the March holidays yea? Will try not to take too long! Thanks for your patience! :D

Carly: Hahaha poor auto-correct. It gets criticized by so many people (: Oh I would too! Sometimes I just wish that anime characters could be real! Dang that would be really cool! *sigh* But oh well.

Guest: Aww man why didn't you put your name? Or a fake name if you don't want me to know your name? It feels weird to call someone Guest :P Hahaha umm I guess you'll just have to read and see? Won't take too long though! ;) At least I think so eheh.


	24. A Dangerous Encounter

The Lost Spirit: A Dangerous Encounter

A/N: Well, I nearly forgot to update till this evening so it's really late now… Whoops haha. Thanks for waiting though! ^^ Btw this dialogue is so lame. Ugh I really need to get thinking for more dialogues mmeeehhhh…

* * *

Haku: Let's go to sleep.

Chihiro: This room has only one bed.

Haku: So?

Chihiro; I'll sleep on the floor.

Haku: That shy, eh?

Chihiro: I'm not shy, I just like sleeping on the floor!

Haku: You look really cute when you're sleeping though. Come on, it's not like I'm going to take advantage of you.

Chihiro: The last time I trusted you, I woke up with paint on my face.

Haku: It won't happen again. Promise.

Chihiro: Fine…

* * *

[Toranosuke's P.O.V]

"Feeling any better yet?" Chihiro peered at me.

"No. I'm on the brink of death. Give me a bunch of white flowers and get it over with please," I deadpanned.

She glowered. "I'm just worried, okay! You've been like this for 2 days already!"

I sighed and put up my fingers for her to see, ignoring their wobbliness. "The 17th time you're asking this already."

Chihiro whacked my hands away and slapped the now cold, damp piece of cloth on my steaming hot forehead. "How often do you get sick anyway?"

"Hardly."

"Really?"

"No."

"Hey!" I chuckled at her reaction. That girl was just too fun to tease. "Well, I'm going to prepare lunch now. Stay here, alright?"

"Gee, I'd just love to up and run off while _I can't even walk."_

She narrowed her eyes at me and scrunched up her nose in disapproval before stalking off. I grinned to myself, bubbling over with warmth. That girl was really…

"Ahh…" It'd been too long since I'd fallen sick. And to be this ill, I couldn't help but wonder if it was something to do with Master. But then again, if he wanted to torture me, he'd have given me poison to freeze some of my nerves or something along that line.

The sudden loud sound of clattering pots and pans travelled from the kitchen and knocked on my skull and ear drums. I moaned at the migraine that kicked up simultaneously. "What a pain…" I muttered sorely. As I stared into space, the thought of someone crossing the barrier surfaced in my mind. I was sick, so there could be a possibility of unwanted, strange spirits breaking it. Hopefully though, nothing unprecedented would happen, because I wouldn't be able to be there to protect her.

'_Better not jinx it…' _I tossed, messing up the sheets to cover myself. It was way too cold.

* * *

[Chihiro's P.O.V]

"Carrots, veggies, sweet potatoes…" I muttered to myself to fill in the silence as I walked around in circles, trying to find the food. Tora would probably not have much of an appetite and it was definitely going to be a pain in the ass to force him to eat. My mind recoiled back to the day before, where he'd repeatedly turned away and shook his head like a big baby while I, as his 'mother', was trying to force feed the bad kid. "I told you, I'm fine. I don't want to eat!" he'd complained.

"C'mon, just one more bite?"

"That's what you say every spoonful!"

"But-"

"I'm not listening…" he'd replied in a sing-song voice.

"If you're not going to eat then I'm going to smear it all on your face and make a mess of the kitchen. How 'bout that?"

Thank goodness he'd been too tired to retort that and had obediently, while shooting daggers at me, finished up the tiny bowl of porridge.

"Ano baka…" I cussed. He'd taken a fond liking of teasing me and it was becoming too habitual of him. But looking on the bright side, if he could still tease me that meant he couldn't be that ill. He was probably well on his way to recovery.

I set the knife down on the chopping board and smiled at the petite and carefully carved bodies of the carrot and sweet potato slices. I dumped them into the pot of porridge and went out of the kitchen, waiting for them to boil for a little first. In the meantime, what could I do?

Sneaking up in Tora's room, his head was ducked under the covers and by the looks of it, he was asleep. Quietly, I slipped in and opened the closet to get another cover. Unfortunately for me though, it was on the top shelf. Glancing at the towering block of wood in comparison to my petite frame, I glowered and grabbed a stool from the corner of the room, trying to reach for it.

"Just… a little… more… you can do this, Chihiro!" I whispered in encouragement as my fingertips barely brushed the thin cloth at the top. I was already on my tip-toes and if I fell, it would create a lot of hullabaloo for sure. For one, Tora would go crazy and yell at me for being clumsy, for two, I'd get a bruise or two, and lastly, I'd have to put up with his whininess for untimely snatching out of his sleep. I shuddered. Definitely something I did not ever want to go through again. The last time it'd happened, I swear I lost 10 years of my life and gained some strands of white hair on my poor youthful head.

"Ack!" The next thing I felt was an excruciating pain on my butt while the stool was on its side, rolling about comically in circles. White tadpoles swam in front of my eyes and it took a while for my vision to clear as I moaned and rubbed my sore butt. "Ahh… sho noisy…" a sleepy Tora mumbled incoherently in his sleep as his messy head popped out from the sheets. I heaved a sigh of relief, at the same time wincing at the incredible pain while trying to stand up. It felt like someone had stuck and slapped two hard metal bars up my behind and it hurt like hell.

Seeing that Tora wasn't too uncomfortable, I discarded the idea of getting him another blanket. After closing the door behind me, I skipped and hopped around the cottage, trying to think of something to do. Since Tora was sick, there wasn't really much to do. My eyes then travelled unwittingly to the window where birds chirped and pecked at stuff on the fresh, green grass.

'_The grass is always greener on the other side eh, Chihiro?'_ I thought to myself. But it was such a great day with just the right amount of wind and sun, and there was rarely such a beautiful day presented to me, I couldn't help but be tempted by the delicious thoughts of exploring what it was like outside the cottage. After all, I couldn't remember anything, and maybe seeing more things outside could get my spark off some sort of nostalgia in me.

Besides, what sort of creepy monster or spirit would be in the mood for attacking anyone on such an amazing day?

Peeping into his room just to make sure he was sound asleep, I got my satisfactory confirmation. On tip-toes like a mouse, I made my way to the front door and heard the soft, blissful click of the lock.

Upon opening the door, I was greeted by the motherly gaze of the Sun. The scent of fresh grass entered my nostrils, much to my pleasure. I grinned at the beauty of nature before me and stood there for a good few minutes before recovering from my gaze and closing the door ever cautiously behind me.

As I took my first step on the soft soil, the sweet squeaks of squirrels and chirping of birds in the trees filled my ears. It all sounded like a sweet melody to me, and brought my experience to a whole new level in comparison to merely sticking my head out the window with the scarce chances I had to do so.

Admiration and awe filled me as I smiled and pranced around in my own little world. However, nothing gave me a single inspiration to recovering my memories. It was all still a blank waiting to be filled in by something. And I didn't know what, which frustrated me to no end. I wanted to find something, and had expected nature to give me some sort of help, but it was no use; my mind couldn't pick up on anything that my eyes were registering. 'Don't give up, Chihiro! Take your time! You can do it!' I encouraged, plastering a smile on my face for myself.

I hadn't even realized I'd gone way too far than intended while I was off on my own little stroll in sunny wonderland. Now there were thick bushes and heavy vines hanging off the top of trees close to me. Little wild flowers bloomed in their own little clusters and they stood out proudly in full glory.

"Looking at them can't hurt…" I murmured and made my way over to look at the pretty little things. I spotted a cute ladybug on it and ogled over it for a bit, eventually scaring it away when it flew off rather unceremoniously. Pouting, I turned to leave, till a little sparkle from the corner of my eye caught my attention.

"What's that?" I wondered aloud. Momentarily relinquishing my intentions of returning to the cottage, my legs stepped closer to the sparkly spot, but as I got closer, my shoulder blade knocked onto a wall. Taken by surprise, I took a step back, trying to identify what that obstacle was. It was kind of glossy and sparkled under the Sun's rays.

My hands hesitantly reached forwards, and were met with the warm, hard surface of a barrier. "That's weird…" I commented, intrigued yet reserved. I poked it and it kind of wobbled like a little bubble. "Aha, cute…" I chuckled and continued poking it.

"What's a barrier doing here?"

The foreign voice snapped me out of my childish playtime. My heart thumped against my chest as I remembered Tora's words: _"Don't ever leave the cottage on your own. Dangerous predatory spirits are out there and I won't be there to protect you in such an emergency."_

'_Now you've done it, Chihiro…' _Threat sounded in urgent alarm and my voice caught in my throat. Upon hearing footsteps getting louder and louder, my heartbeat became increasingly erratic. The shuffling of leaves got louder and louder and my insides screamed to escape, but my feet were rooted firmly to the ground. My knees were buckling and I was perilously close to being noticed.

My mind was filled with endlessly dreadful scenarios playing over and over. Maybe it could be a werewolf or an ogre or a monster or a… person?

Forest green hair popped out in my vision and I took a few steps back in caution. Unfortunately though, in the process my feet mistakenly snapped a few twigs and the sound caught the stranger's attention instantly. My frightened eyes shot up to meet the same shade of forest green in his eyes. He had pretty attractive features, but it wasn't the time to check a guy out!

As our eyes met, my fears were dampened slightly, until a bewildered expression replaced his previously calm features. His mouth began to form a word, but too afraid to stay longer, knowing I'd crossed the line way too far after my promise with Tora, my legs took off sprinting at top speed.

"Chihiro!" the stranger screamed behind me.

Suddenly feeling strong wind resistance, I turned around, only to see the barrier brightening with every impact thrashed against it. It was scary and I could sense it was beginning to break.

'_Please..! Let me go back safe!'_ I prayed desperately, tears glazing over my cheeks and a terrified me ran like there was no tomorrow back to the cottage, back to where it was safe, back to Tora.

"Chihiro!" the voice called out again, this time more faintly.

A surge of hope arose in me as the cottage came into view. I stumbled, tripping over a rock and nearly falling. Sweat trickled down my forehead and neck under the suddenly fiery hot rays of the Sun. I fumbled to grab the knob in my trembling hands as I dashed in and slammed the door behind me.

I bent over on my knees to catch my breath, my ragged breaths filling in the eerie silence for me. I crouched down on my knees, suddenly wanting Tora to be by my side.

"Chihiro? What're you doing there? What happened?"

Without thinking, I stood up and ran into a surprised Tora, wrapping my arms around his neck. His neck was still hot from his fever but as I hugged him, relief filled me. Carefully, his arms snaked themselves around my waist as he stroked my hair soothingly. "You're safe. Everything's alright now."

Tora probably got even more shocked when I started sobbing the petrifying fears out of me. "Hush now, Chihiro," he whispered, squeezing me in return.

We stood there for a while until I was done and pulled away self-consciously. "Are you feeling better now?"

I nodded feebly, looking down.

"Come on, then. Smile for me," he smiled in example, cuing me to follow. His smile was so contagious and soon it spread to my lips as well.

"See? You look much better when you smile," he grinned.

My eyes averted his bashfully as my cheeks burned. "What? You don't believe me?" he prodded, and I could tell he was into teasing mode already.

"Go away, Tora."

"It's late afternoon, by the way. Why didn't you wake me?"

"Oh, right, you haven't eaten yet. Let me get lunch- Oh my- Danggit!" I cursed, remembering the hot pot of porridge I'd left to cook in the kitchen before leaving the cottage.

Hot steam was leaving the pot and the lid was shaking restlessly in its place. I quickly turned the gas off and got a wet cloth to lift the lid. "Ouch!" I cried, accidentally scalding the side of my hand.

"Hey, be careful," Tora called and grabbed my hand, taking the lid and placing my hand under running water. It was reddening a little and I hissed from the burn.

"So… I guess that means I don't have to eat today?" he grinned sheepishly.

I scowled at him, shooting lasers out of my eyes at his cheeky face. "We're both eating burnt porridge today. And don't even think about leaving the table till you lick your bowl clean."

* * *

A/N: Annnddd that's it! I hope this chapter was alright! Please leave a review to tell me what you think!

Thanks to **Ialiceiamagodness, EasternWindDragon, WhiteTiger246, Ryu no Kokoro **and** Carly** for the reviews last chapter! :D I feel sorry for Haku too meeehhh *sniff sniff* but I think things are gonna pick up from here! ;) We'll wait and see!

God bless you peeps! ^^

Carly: Lol I didn't know I was so funny (: Aww thanks! But I'm kinda average :\ hahaha thanks for the compliment though! It's really encouraging and sweet! ^^ Yeap I feel sad for Haku too ): Haku and Chihiro ftw! :D

* * *

[The next morning…]

Chihiro: Toothpaste? Really?

Haku: Look on the bright side; now you don't need to brush to smell minty!


	25. Blank Memories

The Lost Spirit: Blank Memories

A/N: Oh man… the dialogues just get worse and worse… This isn't as bad as compared to the other one I almost put down here. I actually still have one good one but I want to save it for the last chapter which I have no idea when it will arrive.

* * *

Chihiro: Peek-a-

Haku: Boo!

Baby: *wail*

Haku: What did I do? D:

Chihiro: Too scary. Tsk tsk, Haku. How're you going to be a father in the future?

Haku: Well… I have you to help out.

Chihiro: Who said anything about being with you in the future together? *blushes*

Haku: *chuckles*

* * *

I was in that empty white room again, and my head was swiveling in all directions trying to find anyone or anything. "Hello?" I called out, my voice echoing and reverberating throughout the area. "Anybody there?" The place seemed to vibrate with every sound I made like a fragile building ready to collapse at any moment into mere debris and dust.

"_Chihiro…" _

I gasped as strong winds suddenly made a grand entrance and battled my body in all directions, their sole purpose to squash me between them. Air. I needed air. It was hard to breathe with such strong winds and I was suffocating. My limbs thrashed about, trying their very best in vain attempts to fight and resist the forces of air. _"Chihiro…"_ the voices were beginning to get louder.

The intensity of my fears seemed to encourage the voices all the more as the whispers gradually built up into a ghostly orchestra of chants in my ears. As I was chained and locked in that position, a dark figure loomed over me, his voice significantly louder than the ghostly voices. "Chihiro! Chihiro!"

I cringed at the volume and my eyes tried to look away, but somehow or another they were stuck in that spot, my gaze towards the scary silhouette. His voice sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Who was that..?

Forest green hair. Dark green emerald orbs. A young man the same age as me edged closer to me. As I stared at his downcast face, my brain began to pick up on the nostalgia and like a bloodhound, finally sniffed out the source of my memory.

That was the boy who had chased me in the forest.

But, why did he seem so familiar, as if I'd met him way earlier than that?

I wanted to think further but my brain could finally handle no more and I let out a bloodcurdling scream as weights of pain slammed themselves onto my head while the winds restricted airflow all the more. A tear slid down my cheek as my eyelids began to go down, my dark orbs still fixated on him…

"Aaaaahhh!" I screamed, sitting up on the bed. Looking around me and groping the sheets, relief filled me. I was still in the safety of the cottage. "It's just a nightmare…" I muttered to myself, though my body was still shivering from the effect of that bad, bad dream. It was just like that other dream, except this was way too intense for my liking.

"What happened?" a panicked Tora burst into the room. My eyes snapped to his and I could only stare at him blankly, apparently having suddenly turned mute in his presence.

"Just a nightmare…" I managed out and licked my dry lips. I got off the bed, wanting to get a glass of water to parch my thirst. "Are you really alright? You look really pale, Chihiro," he stated, the skin on his forehead crinkling with concern. I nodded and passed by him to get to the kitchen, but not before spotting the hell of a mess that had been made in there.

Shelves were left open and the sink was wet and some other random items were dangling out of open drawers or sprawled out on the floor lazily. An annoyed me turned to Tora who sheepishly ran his fingers through his hair. "I was doing some packing…" I scoffed at that before noticing the drop of sweat that dripped down the side of his face and down his neck. What was he so busy with especially after he'd just recovered?

He side-stepped me and started with his cleaning job, clearing the kitchen of unwanted mess with my help. It took a good few minutes of chiding and complaints before I was finally done. By the end of it, Tora looked about ready to pass out from my incessant whining.

After that, he went into the room to get some items to stuff into a small duffel bag that was carelessly dumped on the couch while I poured myself a glass of water. I took a cloth to dab at my sweat and fanned myself with my hand. It was an unusually warm day.

Tora emerged from the room for the fourth time and going cross-eyed from watching him pace around restlessly, I grabbed another piece of cloth and threw it at his sweaty neck, ordering him to dry himself up before he got the room all stinky with his body odor.

The cloth went one good swipe around his neck, arms and face before it was thrown back at me who looked disgusted at the now smelly fabric. Well, I guess it wasn't _that_ smelly, but I had a way of exaggerating things when I was uncomfortable.

"Why are you packing up, Tora?" I asked as he continued packing food and some spare clothes for the both of us into the bag. "Apples…" he muttered, scouring the shelves for any of the fresh red fruit.

"We ran out of them yesterday, remember? You ate the last one. So… care to tell me where you're going?" I folded my arms across my chest and stared at him defiantly, my eyes daring him to ignore me a second time. His eyes turned to me and he sighed rather loudly before resuming his packing. "I'll tell you later. We're in a rush now. Help me pack?"

"We're both going? Where? Why?" I asked.

He kept mum again and my foot tapped the floor impatiently. I grumbled to myself in annoyance. He could talk to me and pack at the same time, couldn't he? But he looked to be in a big hurry so I decided against interrogating him further. It would only serve to make both of us more irritated, and I'd gladly skip out on an argument. "You forgot the magic word, Tora," I teased. He glared at me playfully with a little too much hostility in his eyes and said in a high-pitched voice, "Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

I nodded but then scowled and stomped over to whack him on the head. "You suck at mimicking my voice! I do not sound like that!"

"Is that so?"

I stuck my tongue out and him and my hands fumbled for a weapon. They found something small and squishy, which turned to be a grape and hurled it at his head. It bounced off but with a quick snap of his fingers, it floated towards him and eventually ended up in his mouth. Squishing it against his right cheek, a bump appeared as he flashed a toothy grin at me and I chuckled heartily.

* * *

"All set!" I exclaimed, satisfied with our work. Both of us sank into the soft leather of the sofa and basked in the heat which was baking us both. Beads of sweat trickled down my neck and forehead and I stole a glance at Tora who was closing his eyes, resting for a moment. He was just as sweaty, if not more. "It's so hot…" I mumbled, shifting my position restlessly. My flesh was all sticky and I caught a whiff of bad odor that did not belong to Tora. At least I didn't think so.

"I know…" came his tired reply.

We rested for a couple of minutes before Tora stretched his back like a lazy cat. "Well, we should get going. Come on." He got up and grabbed the duffel bag, motioning for me to go. But, I was feeling like a couch potato at the moment, I closed my eyes, making no indication of wanting to move in the least.

"Lazy pig-"

My body flinched involuntarily at the mention of that word. Shocked, my eyelids snapped open.

"-get up already. We're in a rush."

A very brief image of 2 gigantic pigs on stools appeared before my very eyes, while a girl shouted with increasing urgency in her voice, _"Come on! Quit eating! Let's get out of here!" _

"Chihiro!" Tora shook my shoulders vigorously and my vision cleared to see his face pressed very close to mine, leaving a rather narrow gap of air between us. I found myself lying on the couch and wondered if I'd actually blacked out for a moment there. "Are you sick?"

I shook my head, confused, but as I did so, the motion caused a sharp pain to spread throughout my head. I hissed at the pain attack and winced, temporarily forgetting about Tora's close proximity to my face. "I'll get you some water. Lie down for a bit."

The warmth of his hands lingered on my shoulders, but was heavily outweighed by the incoming onslaught of pain that my head was giving me. A moan escaped my lips as I made an attempt to recall what that image was. I knew it was a memory, but couldn't link it to any experience or event that had happened before. And that was a problem because my mind refused to give up and continuously fought the pain despite my body's desperate outcries for it to stop and give it a rest for a while.

"Here, drink up." Tora was back without me noticing and was pressing a glass to my lips. As he lifted up my neck gently, tilting my head up, I reluctantly opened up my mouth to let the cold liquid enter. It slid down my throat while Tora stared at me intensely with great worry and concern. It made my heart wrench at the thought of making him so worried for me.

"Sorry…" I muttered, though certain he didn't catch it, since there was only silence in response. As quickly as it'd come, the pain slipped away quietly. Feeling oddly better instantaneously, I sat up with Tora's hand hovering behind my back in case I fell back down. It was funny, since the couch was soft enough to handle me unless he was actually worried that my weight would make the stuff in it burst out.

"Are you sure you're feeling better? Do you want to rest first?" he inquired. Smiling, I placed my thumb on his forehead where worried wrinkles had appeared, smoothing them out. "I'm fine. See? Don't look so upset. Smile for me, Tora." Just like him, I grinned widely, cuing him to do the same.

Rolling his eyes, he grinned, making my heart do a weird dance in my chest. "Well then, you said we need to go?"

He nodded, face turning serious with a snap of his fingers. "Yes. It's urgent. I'll explain the details to you soon, but we need to leave as soon as possible. Are you feeling up to travelling for now?"

Getting up, I tugged on his sleeve and after he scooped up the duffel bag, accompanied me like a fine gentleman towards the door. I waited for him to lock the door and shielded my eyes from the glaring light of the huge ball of fiery anger up in the sky with my hands.

"Well then, you ready?" Tora held out his hand to me and I stared at it weirdly, wondering what sort of evil plot he was conjuring. "What're you planning this time?" I stared him down with narrowed eyes and he gave me an amused look, stifling a laugh. "What makes you think it's something bad? I'm a nice person."

I snorted at the statement. "If you're nice then I'm a dwarf."

"Proves my point, shortie."

Glowering at him, I rephrased. "Wrong word. I meant… unicorn..?" My mind went black when at first instinct the word 'pig' came to mind.

Fortunately not spotting my possibly perplexed expression, he turned around and patted his back. I frowned. "What?" His head turned to give me a _what-do-you-think_ look. "I know you want me to get on your back, but what for?"

He didn't answer, so cussing under my breath, I wrapped my arms around his neck and decided to prod him again. "Any explanation?"

I guessed us levitating was his answer to me. I shrieked in his ear and let go suddenly, ending up on the floor sprawled out on my butt. "Ouch!" I cried, feeling the thorny edges of the grass spike my butt a little, making it quite itchy.

"Oww… what'd you do that for?" Tora whined, rubbing his ears, as if it would help soothe his ringing eardrums.

"I didn't get a warning! Geez!" I shot back defensively, getting up to my feet and dusting any stray grass that got stuck to my pants off. Wrapping my arms around him again, this time tighter for fear of falling, he nearly choked from the force and held my arms to make me feel more secure. "Don't worry, I won't drop you. Promise."

'_Promise…' _

I shook myself out of it before I could get another migraine. There were so many words speaking to me all of a sudden, I couldn't help but wonder if I was still decently sane. Perhaps it was a lack of sleep? After all, I'd had stayed up quite a number of nights to take care of poor, sick Tora and used up much of my energy trying to feed the poor child.

Out of the blue, I felt Tora's body tense with a shiver crawling up his back. He stiffened visibly and I sensed something amiss, though not daring to ask him for fear of screaming should I open my mouth when our feet left the ground. "Hang on tight, alright? And I won't let go of you. Now don't look back."

I gasped. _'…don't look back…' _

What in the world was wrong with me? The next thing I knew I would be hearing some strange animal sound.

As if on cue, a dragon's roar was comically—or perhaps not so comically—heard from behind us and Tora began to kick into gear and sped up, the wind whizzing past as we went along. I grabbed hold of him tighter, but startled by more roaring sounds behind us, I disregarded Tora's words and turned around to see a ferocious dragon hot on our tails.

* * *

A/N: Wanna leave a review and tell me what you think? You know you wanna~

A million thanks to **Ialiceiamagodness, michelle88222, WhiteTiger246, Ryu no Kokoro, EasternWindDragon, Leeshyloo, pillowpanda, Carly and PianoPanda12** for your reviews the previous chapter! :D Thank you thank you thank you… … etc.

I suppose I was kinda mean for making Chihiro run away. :P But oh well, I'll definitely make it up! (: By the way, I don't think I'll be updating next week because of my workload and choir competition. And my definition of workload is like, 7 projects (tomorrow I'll be done with one yay) added with more homework… So yeah and this week I'm actually quite busy too but I've promised and I love you guys so much so I got this chapter done! (:

Will try my best to update soon yeah! God bless! ^^

Pillowpanda: Hahahaha and I love you for reviewing! Shanks! :D

Carly: Yeap I can tell you're a really cheerful person (: Aww thank you! ^^ I'm running out of dialogues. Fast. GAH.

* * *

Baby: *cries even harder*

Haku: Gaah! I can't handle this! Help, Chihiro!

Chihiro: I'm going off to make lunch now. Have fun!

Haku: What?! D':


	26. Protection

The Lost Spirit: Protection

Haku: Household chores suck…

Chihiro: You know what sucks more than doing chores?

Haku: What?

Chihiro: Doing it with you, King of Whining.

Haku: You still love me, my queen. *winks*

* * *

[Haku's P.O.V]

"Damn it!" I cursed and knocked against the wall time and again, each time proving to be a vain attempt at breaking it when there was nary a hint of a scratch on it. It brightened with a flash of light with every seemingly pathetic impact I made on it. My mind was in a whirl. From taking a miserable walk on my own to seeing Chihiro in front of me, well and alive, running as far as possible away from me as if I were a terrifying predator, things were escalating way too quickly.

How the hell did she get out of that place unscathed? Well, not like it wasn't possible. All it took was Hades to order some henchman of his to hide Chihiro away from us, but what for? There was absolutely no sense in this, not that it couldn't be expected from him. After all, he did enjoy some good entertainment from practically everything.

My fists curled into tight balls of fury. If he thought playing around with Chihiro's safety and well-being was entertaining, then I was never, ever going to let him off. Even if he was a god, I didn't care. Nothing was more important than Chihiro.

'_Chihiro…' _

The mere thought of her sent devastation coming down on me so hard I was surprised I could still stand on my legs, however weakly. She didn't remember me. She was afraid of me, and even thought I was going to put her in harm's way. She probably hated me now, especially since I actually reacted in that way upon seeing her without pausing to think about my actions in front of the girl highly possibly suffering from amnesia at the moment.

"This barrier…" I snarled beneath my breath. I had to break through it, no matter what. I wasn't going to let Chihiro go again.

Inhaling deeply, I tried to return to my level-headed self. My hands placed themselves on the invisible, glossy walls of the barrier. Warmth seeped through them, probably mostly due to the Sun. Strong dark magic radiated from it, its strength surprising me. There had to be a way to break it, unless it was the work of a god, which was highly unlikely. Hades rarely got his hands dirty; his henchmen did all the dirty work for him. Besides, the strength did not match up in the least.

"Think, Haku!" Continuing to talk to myself like a maniac, I paced around restlessly, trying to think of a way to get through.

That's when I got it.

Zeniba's golden seal.

In a flash, my dragon was up in the air, racing to the cottage. I could only hope that Chihiro hadn't left yet. After all, the creator of the barrier would have long realized by now that an intruder has appeared with all that thrashing.

'_Way to go, Haku,'_ I thought sourly to myself and let out a frustrated roar.

* * *

[Chihiro's P.O.V]

"Tora..!" I shouted, terror-stricken. I half-expected him to wince at my volume, but his unfazed expression told me either he didn't hear me or he was ignoring me. There was also the possibility that he couldn't talk, like me.

I yelped when he began to go higher and faster, clutching his clothes tightly and burying my face in his neck. It was as if the wind was painfully sucking the air out of my nose, preventing any air from entering or leaving, just like my dream.

I shuddered and tried to shrug off the superstitious feelings.

My head tried turning around in curiosity, but firstly, I frankly didn't want to see how close or how far the dragon was, and secondly, the wind pressure was forcing my head down with incredible strength, so I couldn't.

Although, another roar from behind, this time amplified by three or four times, made my hairs stand on end. My palms began to feel clammy and I could tell that I was losing my grip.

Fear shot up rapidly, resulting in making my palms sweatier, which clearly did not help in the least. I would have screamed in fright, but I could barely open my eyes, let alone open my mouth. If I did, I'd probably get a huge mouthful of airy goodness. And my lurching stomach wasn't exactly up to it now.

With my eyes closed and nose blocked, I could only count on my ears. But the minute I closed my eyes, seeing only darkness, it scared me. The sense of loneliness, perilous and imminent danger stuck to me like glue.

'_Chihiro!'_ the voice from my dream hollered in my mind.

'_No… stop… stop!'_ I pleaded, though fully aware I was talking to myself. I just wanted everything out of my head. So many things were cramming my mind, my head felt ripe to explode into a million pieces.

The next thing that occurred happened in slow motion.

With my clammy and loosely held hands, they slipped past each other in a fluid motion and just like that, I was flying off Tora's back. My eyelids jerked open in shock, and frightened tears welled up in my eyes as they stared wide open at Tora who was now coming straight for me. But then, they shifted involuntarily to the other thing that was reaching for me.

The dragon's eyes seemed to pierce right through my heart. The call of my name was far away as I lost myself in those eyes. Somewhere, deep inside, I knew I saw that creature before. Its elegant stance, the sleek body with pearl white scales and emerald hair all seemed to spark something off in my heart.

'_Chihiro!'_ a voice shouted in my head, but this time, it wasn't my mind hallucinating, I was certain. Tora's voice seemed so far away compared to it but for some peculiar reason, I wasn't scared of the voice like I was in the dream. It was more of the sense of strong nostalgia, and at that moment something told me the answers were all right in front of me, yet my fingertips could not grasp it. It certainly was frustrating, but my mind was blank, trying to register the dragon in my mind, wondering where I could have seen it.

And that was when the hell started.

My head seemed to burst into flames, the heat and raw pain attacking it at full-force. I screamed and more tears leaked out.

"Got you!" A man's arms wrapped themselves from behind around my body securely, but I was still screaming and crying.

"Shh… don't cry anymore. Everything's alright."

I ignored him, hands moving up to clutch my head. I was so sure that if I hadn't died from the impact of falling from such a great height, it would have been the pain that killed me. He pushed my head into the crook of his neck, muffling my sobs.

"Your head hurts." It was more of a statement than a question.

That had to be the understatement of the century. To say it hurt didn't even cover an inch of what I was going through.

I had been too caught up with my pain to realize that we were now on the ground and he laid me gently on the floor, leaving my head in the same position as he began to mutter some words under his breath. His big hands held mine securely and slowly, my breaths went from ragged pants to even breathing. The pain faded and eventually vanished.

I slumped instantly and his arms once again wrapped themselves around me, holding me in a protective manner as if I were a delicate, fragile doll. It felt nice to be held like that. His scent smelled familiar… But I couldn't place it.

Snapping my eyes open, I shoved him away from me, taking him by surprise. My brain quickly realized that it wasn't Tora.

Although, apparently I wasn't strong enough to completely push him away from me, so he was still a little too near for my liking. "Chihiro, I'm not going to hurt you," he stated calmly after recovering from his initial shock, looking at me with those beautiful eyes of his. They were enchanting and careful, and he approached me with care.

I felt compelled to trust him, but the logical part of me asked the obvious question: I didn't even know the guy, so how could I trust him?

"Who… are you..?" the words left my mouth on instinct.

"I'm… a friend. You don't remember me, do you?"

I shook my head. "I don't."

A flash of sadness shone in his eyes and I felt a little guilty for not remembering a friend I was supposed to remember. But then again, if we were just friends, then why was my heart going so fast? And why did he hold me in such an intimate manner? How close were we exactly?

"So, care to tell me what you remember?" he inquired, a tiny smile making his charming features stand out all the more. I knew his forest green hair and voice. He was the person I'd come across in the forest. Seeing how things turned out, he could have been desperately searching for me to have reacted in such a big manner.

The forest… Tora… Tora!

"Where's Tora?" I shot up with immense urgency. Amidst all the pandemonium I couldn't believe I had actually forgotten about Tora. Where in the world was he? He and the dragon were coming at me at the same time, and then suddenly I was with this man whom I was supposed to have been close friends with, or possibly something more.

If I wasn't so panicked, I would have blushed at the thought.

"You're that dragon, aren't you? Where's Tora? Did you hurt him?" I cried, closing the distance between us and grabbing hold of his hands.

"I'm over here, Chihiro."

My head spun around to see Tora casually leaning on a tree, looking at me with a tight smile on his face. "Tora!" My legs immediately kicked into action, wanting to run over to him, but I was held back.

The dragon boy's other arm pulled me back to him protectively, a low snarl rippling from his throat. "Don't," he warned, "trust him."

At an imaginary him in front of me I stared as if he'd just grown two heads. "What are you talking about?"

"He's not one to be trusted," he repeated again.

I frowned, rebutting him, "I don't even know you, so why should I trust you over Tora whom I've known for a few weeks already?"

His grip on me tightened painfully and I winced, squirming to move away from him.

"I'm Haku. Kohaku River. Does that ring a bell anywhere?" he bit out.

"…_your real name is, Kohaku River!" _

I gasped at the flashback. Thank goodness Haku was standing behind me or no one would have been there to catch my fall.

"Chihiro! You alright?"

I managed out a weak nod. "Yes… I think I…"

"I need to talk to you," Tora abruptly showed up, his hard eyes—I assumed—locking with Haku's.

A few seconds of rising tension passed before he replied stiffly, "Alright. Stay here, Chihiro. We'll just be over there."

Haku released his grip on me and turned me around, tipping my chin up to look at him. "Don't stress yourself out trying to remember things. You'll recover your memories eventually. I promise."

I nodded at that, before it dawned on me that my body was stiff everywhere. I could practically imagine the word 'stressed' labeled on my face in thick and large font. Watching as the two men went off, I looked down at the ground, sighing. There were so many things going on, time alone was just what I needed to sort things out.

We were in an open field, and it was rather empty at that. Past the expanse of green were hills and mountains. It seemed like a good idea to take a break there, with the breathtaking scenery that one could admire for a while, taking things off the mind. Perhaps a trip could be arranged. It seemed to be fairly good weather, but dark clouds lingering about in the eastward sky told me otherwise. I hoped the two wouldn't take too much time. My eyes travelled back to them again, and by the looks on their faces I could tell they were having a very serious discussion and clearly did not like each other very much.

I gulped. Hopefully that would change soon.

"Your life is so messed up, Chihiro…" I muttered, kicking a random pebble from the floor aside.

So from what I could remember, there were 2 pigs, and someone making a promise to me and telling me not to look back. And then there was Haku, or Kohaku River, who was supposed to be a close friend of mine.

Now to try piecing everything together…

I scratched my head. That was going to be a problem. There was no link between them, other than the fact that Haku's voice sounded exactly the same as the voices that had said something to do with a promise and not looking back. Odd. I was definitely going to weasel the information out of him later.

"Haku, who are you to me, exactly?" I wondered aloud, my thumping heart drowning the rest of my thoughts away.

* * *

A/N: Sorry the chapter's slightly shorter than usual, but I thought that was a good place to stop. ;)

Thank y'all for being so patient with me!

Thank euuu to **Ialiceiamagodness, Ryu no Kokoro, PianoPanda12, WhiteTiger246, EasternWindDragon** and **michelle88222** for the reviews! :D

It's funny how things in my life always almost reach the cut by a really small margin. For last year's EOY (End of Year) math paper, I got 79 marks, a mark away from my A+. (Not saying that I'm good at math; I still suck. I worked super hard for that! And things are going downhill this year especially.) And then for my EOY Japanese paper I got 79.9 marks. HALLELUJUAH. Thank goodness I found some marking errors heh so I managed to make the cut yay. #storyofmylife

So now back to the issue: _**99**_ reviews.

WAAAAHHHH WHY U NO REACH 100?!

Hahahahaha but thanks a lot! I'm really, truly glad it's this close to 100! :DDD YOU GUYS ROCK! (I shall be a stone.) Thanks for all of your support peeps! *SQUEEZE*

Seeya in a week's time yea! God bless! ^^


	27. The Heart's Choice

The Lost Spirit: The Heart's Choice

Chihiro: I can't sleep…

Haku: Why not?

Chihiro: I don't know…

Haku: *kisses forehead* I'll stay here beside you till you sleep then.

* * *

We continued walking down the now muddy path with rain pelting our bodies. The two of them had insisted we go quickly, but given my melancholic mood that seemed to feel like walking in the rain like a typical 'emo' person, I stood my ground and stubbornly refused to listen to them. And so they decided to bombard me with questions, all mainly to do if I was feeling alright and all that, seeing my glum face.

"You alright, Chihiro?" Haku asked for just about the millionth time.

"You'll catch a cold if you carry on like this…" Tora echoed from behind.

Haku was not letting Tora walk beside me for a strange reason, so he was walking right behind me, standing in between the two of us. I would have preferred walking with someone more familiar though; not that I didn't like Haku, it was just kind of awkward now that I just remembered that I knew him from somewhere, somehow or another. If I weren't getting so frustrated and impatient with myself for being unable to remember anything or even manage to make a tiny connection with the events that I could actually remember, I would have just laughed and called Haku cute and all, but right now I was just a ticking time bomb ready to explode just about any minute if they asked me the same thing again…

"Don't ignore me like that, Chihiro, it worries me…"

I stopped abruptly, causing Haku to knock into me. I wavered slightly with the sudden weight against my back, but I gritted my teeth and forced my feet to root themselves to the ground firmly. I was expecting Tora to ask something, but he seemed to be able to read my mood swing, which was a good thing. Haku, on the other hand, was staying quiet. I wondered why, I mean, he was asking me so many questions like a broken record just seconds ago, so why was he being so silent all of a sudden?

"Don't stop in the middle of the path, Chihiro." That was all he said after a pause in a small, almost unnoticeable curt tone, before side stepping me and taking the lead back to the cottage.

His muscular and broad back faced me, giving me a clear view of his drenched body. His hair was also wet and slick, which made him look kind of handsome… _'Quit it, Chihiro!'_ I mentally slapped myself. I was supposed to be angry and frustrated, so what was up with my churning insides? One moment I was mad at the guy, and the next I was checking him out.

Snapping out of my entranced state, I rolled my eyes and followed after Haku, but not before getting a meaningful, concerned glance from Tora. Feigning ignorance, the now painful silence that I had so desired earlier now lingered in the atmosphere, constricting my chest.

It felt like ages before the cottage finally came into view. I was about to take another step when Tora held me back. I looked up at him, puzzled, but he shook his head. "Wait."

I turned back to see Haku making his way to the front door, and he knocked a few times. I rolled my eyes. Tora and I were here, there was obviously no one at home. What kind of a show was he trying to put up? Haku folded his arms, waiting for a few more minutes impatiently and tapping his feet on the wet, muddy grass. Then, he sighed in exasperation and turned back to us, walking back.

I shot him a _what-are-you-doing_ look but he remained silent, though maintaining eye contact with me. I averted his gaze; it was making me nervous. My palms were getting sweaty, though it was hard to tell with it being already wet with raindrops.

Haku nodded to Tora and then he nudged my shoulder lightly, cuing me to follow him back to the cottage. By then I'd given up on asking them what in the world was going on. They were not spilling anything till we were safe inside.

Tora took my hand and rushed me over to the house, shielding me from the rain. I couldn't help but smile despite myself. Both of us were soaked to the bone, so there was no use in shielding me at all. Sometimes I would never get his silliness.

Hurriedly opening the door, he pushed me inside a little too forcefully, making me slip on the little puddle we made on the floor and falling forward. I let out a yelp and braced myself for impact, praying my nose wouldn't be broken.

An arm wrapped itself around me, pulling me up and turning me around to see Tora's face just a few inches away.

On any other day, I would have been screaming inside and my stomach would have been flipping multiple times, but perhaps it was just my mood that day, that I didn't feel anything at all. Maybe there was still that little heat that would creep up my cheeks from standing that close to a guy, but that was all there was.

I blamed hormones.

"Careful there," he murmured, setting me carefully on my feet.

"Thanks."

Tora set our 'baggage' on the couch, and I frowned. "It's gonna make the couch wet."

He shrugged. "It'll dry up in a bit. Now let's go get cleaned up." He walked into the room and I followed, but paused. "Wait, is Haku coming too?"

"He'll be coming soon. Just wait a little," he replied, throwing a towel over my head and ruffling my hair a little, making the little shiny droplets of water hanging on the ends of the strands fly off.

I reached up and tried to ruffle his hair as well but he dodged out of reach. I scowled at him. He just had to be so tall…

"Sorry, I'm just a tad tall for my own good."

Rolling my eyes, I threw a light punch at his chest. To that, he pretended to be in great pain and put on an extremely exaggerated act by falling to the floor like his was dying. I laughed and whacked his back with my towel.

"Oh, have mercy on me, your Greatness!" he pleaded.

Holding back a snort, I ignored him and continued torturing him. While rolling on the floor, his legs accidentally tripped me and I ended up falling on top of him.

"Ouch!" We cried at the same time. My nose had hit his chest and I had a feeling it was broken. His chest was way too hard. "You weigh a ton, Chihiro!"

"Are you wearing a metal plate under that top? It's so ridiculously hard! I think I broke my nose, idiot!"

"I have a great figure, I know. You didn't have to fall on me to get this close though," he answered smugly. I pinched his nose and pulled it upwards, making him squirm.

"You little brat," he snarled playfully. He grabbed my arms and pulled them away, although both of us didn't realize that would end up making our faces scarily close to each other.

The slamming of a door startled the both of us, and we turned our heads to see an absolutely livid Haku. He was glaring at the both of us and I could have sworn I saw flames brewing behind him.

Tora and I then scrambled to our feet, realizing that our position earlier was rather indecent.

I stole a glance at Tora to see his cheeks flushed a light red, and the heat on my cheeks told me I was blushing too. That was incredibly embarrassing… And now it was awfully silent. I hated the tension. I noticed Haku was still dripping wet and decided to get a towel for him.

Nearly running into the room with my towel barely staying on my head, I pulled the last towel out of the modest closet and went back to the living room. "Here, dry yourself up," I said quietly to Haku.

I noticed his fists were curled in tight balls and so I peeked up at him but his stone cold eyes frightened me. For some reason, they felt like knives stabbing my heart mercilessly and brought hurt to a whole new level. I could feel tears pricking my eyes. I never wanted for him to get angry. I never wanted to forget him. I never wanted to be a bad friend. Did he blame me? He probably did, but it wasn't his fault. I was really useless.

Looks like it was my time of the month.

"I'm sorry…" I muttered. My hands were still holding the towel up for him, and when he finally took it, I turned around to go back beside Tora but suddenly Haku's strong arms wrapped themselves around my waist.

I was stunned to say the least. We remained in that position for a good while, me being afraid to try escaping from his hold. I heard the door to the room close shut, leaving me alone with Haku. "Um, Haku, are you okay?" I tried cautiously. I was uncomfortable. My heart was going erratic and shivers went up and down my spine and he nuzzled his soft, silky hair on my shoulder. His hot breath came out and landed on my back, warming it up from the cold rain.

"You're really making me go crazy…" he said, pulling me closer to him.

"I'm already trying my best to remember… I'm sorry…" I swallowed thickly.

Who was he to me, exactly?

"I'm sorry, I was just very worried about you earlier. I shouldn't have been nagging incessantly at you."

I shook my head slightly. "I shouldn't have lost my temper. I was just in a bad mood, since I couldn't really remember anything… "

"You're not to blame, Chihiro. I'll wait for you to remember everything. You'll recover your memories soon, I promise."

"How can you promise something you're not even sure of?" I heard myself voice out.

I felt him flinch at my question. "You will," he spun me around to face him, "because I'll be there to help you through it."

At the end of that, his lips crashed to mine. His arms snaked themselves around my waist and one of his free hands came up to cup my cheek. I found myself kissing him back. The softness and gentleness of his kisses were making my mind go dizzy with joy. My hands wrapped themselves around his neck, enjoying the sweet lip-lock while my insides turned to mush.

It was absolutely crazy to be kissing a guy whom I didn't even know. Granted, he was someone I was probably close to before, but with all my memories gone, things were escalating too quickly for my brain to register.

My heart on the other hand, was just telling me to go along with the ridiculous things I was doing. Haku was definitely messing my head up, but I didn't dislike it in any way. Or maybe it was just hormones. Whichever, I didn't care.

I didn't know who he was to me before, but for now, I knew that I did like him, and that was enough for me.

* * *

A/N: Sorry guys I came down with an illness notoriously known as the writer's block. This chapter was way shorter than usual, but I decided to let it have some fluff as a reward for your patience heehee. So how did you like it? This is like, the second kiss in the entire story lol.

So now Chihiro's kind of messed up in her head about who she likes but at the end of the day, her heart still screams HAKU!

Thank you to you great people who review and favorite-d and followed this story!

Big shout-out to the reviewers: **Ialiceiamagodness, WhiteTiger246, Ryu no Kokoro, EasternWindDragon, Flavor Minty, JustMe279 **and** YiLuLu303!**

I'm so sorry I forgot to reply to your reviews cuz I think I was planning to do that after my exams or something and then I forgot… Eheh. You guys are so great and thanks for your encouragements! They really were like an energy boost to me while I was studying. (I'm satisfied with most of the Common Test results :D)

Anyway, I won't be updating for another week probably, or if I do it'll be a little late because I'll be dead after OBS, Outward Bound Singapore. It's basically an outdoor camp where they ship you off to Pulau Ubin for an adventure camp. Yeap, kayaking for 16km and trekking for 20km comes with the package. And it's gonna be so hot (Singapore's a tropical country haha) so I think I'd be pretty much roasted when I come back on Friday. I'll be leaving tomorrow early in the morning so buh-bye to everyone for a week. If I can I might write, but I think I'd hug my bed for the rest of the weekend. XD

Well then, I'll see y'all soon! Bye! And please leave a review for me :DDD It'll be like a welcome home present for me when I come back from OBS yeah! (No usage of phones there…)

Flavor Minty: AWW THANK YOU GURL~ (…you're a girl right? O.o) and yes mam I will haha ;)


	28. Reflecting

The Lost Spirit: Reflecting

[Tora's P.O.V]

I took a seat on the couch next to Haku while we watched Chihiro go into the room. She shot me another pleading look, clearly yet another attempt at her 'puppy dog eyes' to stay and hear us talk. I merely gave her a stern look that was a straight 'no' that got her pouting and finally into the room. She made sure to close the door extremely slowly with her eye peeking out though. What a kid. I smiled and shook my head.

"Well then," Haku started with a tiny cough, "shall we begin?"

"Of course," I nodded, "what do you plan to do with Chihiro from here on now?"

Haku stayed quiet for a bit, deep in thought. I stroked my chin, wondering what we could possibly do. Now that Master was on to us, we couldn't do very much other than wait for his move. But then there was Chihiro who wanted to regain her memories so badly. That stubborn little girl would refuse to just sit still and wait. All hell would break loose if we told her that her parents were staying with Haku. I could just imagine her saying, "But they're my parents! I have a right to see them!"

Oh, my poor head.

"I think it would be best for Chihiro to stay here," Haku decided, looking up at me. My surprise must not have been hidden very well because then he questioned, "What?"

"My apologies. It's just that you don't seem to trust me very much with Chihiro, so I was expecting you to want her to go back with you."

He sighed. "I still don't trust you fully, but for now my main priority is for Chihiro to be safe, nothing else. Hades is on to us and if she goes back now, everyone else would be dragged into this and things will get much more complicated."

To be honest, I was amazed at his maturity for such a young dragon. Dragons were known to be more hot-headed, after all. "And how can you be sure I won't hurt her?"

"Because," he leaned forward with a serious expression, "if you wanted to, you'd have done it long ago, and you would probably have killed me when we met."

I nodded. "Fair enough."

"So I'm thinking that she'll stay here with you. We can only stay put for now and keep a lookout for Hades' next move," he continued.

"I have served Master for a long time, and my best prediction of his next move would be getting me to make Chihiro regain her memories again. It'd be a repeat of the previous time. We had better be mentally prepared for Chihiro, because we have no idea how she's going to react."

"I have a feeling she's going to run away. Her past is very difficult to accept," Haku replied sadly.

"I believe in her, though. That thick-headed girl with a strong will can pull through. She needs you by her side though."

"No, she needs you too. You have been the closest friend to her the past few weeks. Promise me to stay by her side as well."

"I promise," I answered solemnly.

So we were done sorting out the main problem. We could only pray and hope for the best, that Chihiro would not get into harm's way.

"I have a question for you," he started, after a little bit of silence.

"Yes?"

"Are you… no, how do you feel about Chihiro, exactly?"

I was puzzled by his odd question. "Sorry, would you elaborate further?"

"I mean, what is Chihiro to you?" he re-phrased.

Ogino Chihiro. Spending time with her had been fun, and to be honest, they were the best memories I had ever had. She was a lively, bright and caring girl, although she was rather mischievous at times too. It was fun to tease her, but of course, there were times when I had to be the one comforting her or the one keeping things from her. She'd always have that pout on her face to try getting me to give in, but that look never worked on me. At first, I had to admit, it managed to have an effect on me, but too bad my self-control was much stronger than that.

And then there was the part where I had to protect her. It felt like it was almost instinctive for me to protect her from getting hurt. She was so fragile, so vulnerable and just so small. There was this need that compelled me to protect her from anything and everything, despite the cost. I wonder where this overprotective instinct came from.

"Well… I think… I treat her as a younger sister. I feel the need to protect her for whatever reason, but I do look out for her well-being. It's my priority as well," I finally answered.

"But do you have any… feelings for her?" he asked, somehow still doubtful.

Me, Toranosuke, having feelings for Chihiro? That was plain nonsense. She was just a little sister to me. Having such inappropriate feelings was beyond me.

"Like I said, I treat her as my younger sister. Nothing more."

"You sure?"

"Do you not trust me?"

"Well, I just said that I didn't fully trust you, didn't I?"

"True." I smiled. I was rather impressed by that young man.

"Well then, if that's how it is, I think, I can trust you with Chihiro. Take good care of her for me. I won't be able to come over to visit much, what with all the spies around." He looked to be rather relieved and I chuckled in my mind. The two of them were definitely made for each other, my gut told me so.

Haku was very good for Chihiro. But, just to satisfy my overprotective side, I'd just have to observe him for a longer time before trusting him with the little girl.

I could just imagine her laughing at my childish personality which made me scowl.

"What's wrong?" Haku asked, snapping me out of my imaginative world.

"Nothing, I was just thinking about other irrelevant things." I noticed his empty cup of tea. "Would you like me to refill your cup?"

* * *

[Chihiro's P.O.V]

My hair was sprawled out all over the pillows, and I was sure I looked just like Medusa, except that my hair was nowhere near becoming evil little disgusting snakes. I held up my purple hair tie, staring at it intently.

"I'm so bored…" I whined to myself, flinging my arms down to fall to the sheets with a plop. I continued staring at the ceiling and pouted. Tora was such a mean jerk. Why couldn't I listen in? The two of them were probably talking about me after all. I had a right to know what their plans were, didn't I?

My pout soon turned into a big scowl and I chided myself for being so childish. No wonder he didn't want me to listen in. I would probably be asking questions here and there and arguing on my own point, disregarding their ideas completely.

I laughed at the thought of Tora's frustrated look.

"Eesh!" I rolled over, lying flat on my stomach. "Haku…"

Just the sound of Haku's name sent tingles down my spine and butterflies in my stomach. Clearly he played a big role in my memories and I wanted to know, to remember my relationship with him.

Were we dating?

No, no, that was a little too far-fetched. The mere idea sent my cheeks flaming and I slapped myself to cool down. I had to stop with fantasizing. But my mind kept going back to that kiss.

His kiss had been so tender and I had never experienced such feelings before. It was kind of nostalgic, and I was sure we already had something going on before. Now when I looked at him, I saw him in a different light. I wanted to run my fingers through his hair, to feel its softness. And I wanted to touch him, not in that kind of lustful way, but maybe a hug would do. I felt safe when I was with him.

Great. Just a few hours of getting to know Haku and I was already obsessed. He would probably freak out if he knew I was thinking such illicit things. That's why they were going to stay in my head.

"Show me something, won't you?" I asked, directing the question to the hair tie. I stared at it, determined to find something that would show me my memories. Nothing happened. I waited a little more. Still nothing happened. Minor disappointment welled up in me but I shrugged it off.

Well, of course nothing would happen. What was I thinking? That it would just start floating in mid-air and my memories would be displayed on a hologram?

Now that was a nice way to get my memories back if it was possible.

Just when I was about to give up and officially name myself insane though, it sparkled with a soft purple glow.

I could have sworn my eyes nearly fell out. It just glowed! Albeit for approximately 3 seconds, but that was definitely a magical sign of some sort.

'_Or it could be the sunlight, you moron,'_ another voice in my head retorted.

Rolling my eyes, I shut my eyes tightly and gripped the hair tie. "Please, show me my past! Please, anything would be good! I want to know!"

Unknowingly, as time passed, perhaps I'd closed my eyes for too long, or maybe I was just too tired, because soon I dozed off on the comfortable bed, body spent.

"_Oh no! That was my best picture so far!" I pouted. _

"_Don't worry; we'll get it for you okay?" Dad patted my head, before heading to the ocean together with Mom. My eyes followed them as their figures before shifting to a sign that read "No swimming during high tide." _

_Alerted, I jumped up and down, trying to get their attention. "Mom! Dad! Come back! It's high tide now! The sign over there says not to go to the sea when it's high tide! It's too dangerous!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. However, they didn't seem to hear. They were still laughing and giggling away like a typical young couple, heading towards the seemingly inviting predatory waves of the ocean. _

_The picture had floated pretty far away from the shore, and Mom stood at the shore to wait for Dad to go get the picture. Dad folded up his pants, and ventured out into the treacherous waters. Slowly, with every step he took, he was disappearing into the water. Soon, the water went up to his knees, then his waist, and then his chest. I was beginning to get worried, so I decided to run to them to stop them. _

_Just as I was running though, a sudden, horrible scream stopped me. I froze in my tracks and looked up to see Dad waving his arms above his head frantically. Oh dear. The strong current was pushing him away. Without hesitation, Mom jumped in to chance saving him. _

_In a moment's panic, I tried bolting towards them in what could count as a vain heroic attempt to save them. However, my feet had rooted and planted themselves firmly on the sand, immobilizing me._

_The two of them struggled to swim back, and pedal as they might, but they were still moving backwards with the force of the current. _

"_Stay there, honey! We'll be back soon!" Mom shouted, though it was clear that swimming back ashore would be a daunting and extremely challenging task. _

Time seemed to fast forward and then I was in a pitch black area. I could see nothing and felt nothing. It felt like I was caged up in my mind. A voice droned on and on in it, _"They were found dead on the shore of a nearby island." _Again and again, it went on and on, each time hurting my ears more and more. I cringed at the monotonous and dull voice as it boomed and pained my ears. I imagined my eardrums bleeding from the multiple attacks.

Soon a chorus of other ghostly voices joined in, and the terrifying orchestra of clashing harmonies of voices frightened me. It was cold, too cold in the black hole and it chilled me to the bone. I wanted to wake up and get out of that nightmare, but nothing was working. I was trapped. And I had nowhere to run.

"Chihiro! Wake up! Come on!" a guy's voice yelled.

Amazingly, it pulled me out of my sleep and my eyes finally opened to see light. I awoke to find that my hands were trembling and gripping tightly onto Haku's clothes, though the grip was not at all firm with my clammy palms. He was cradling me in his arms and had placed my head against his shoulder while his hands were placed over mine, squeezing them tightly.

"You're going to be alright," he murmured in my ear, hugging me. My head was tucked nicely in the crook of his neck and for a moment I had no idea what was happening, except that my body was shivering and that Haku was with me.

And slowly, the memories came running back. Mom and Dad. Our beach outing. I wanted my picture back. They tried to retrieve it and… they died.

I had no idea how to react. My mind was at a loss and it was blank. But then, tears brimmed in my eyes and they flowed out of my tear ducts. Soon, I was sobbing and Haku only held me closer to him, whispering his comforting words in my ear. His hand stroked my back reassuringly, making me hang on tighter to him. I was afraid that he'd leave me too.

"I'm here now, no one's going to hurt you," he said. None of his other words registered other than those words of his. He was here with me. I was safe with him. That was all I needed to know.

* * *

"Are you feeling better now?" Tora asked.

I nodded numbly against Haku's chest. I was feeling dead at the moment and I just wished I could just die right then. Well, not for real, but I just wasn't up for talking for a while.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Haku asked gently.

I shook my head.

"Do you need anything?" Tora tried, but I declined. I just needed some time alone to think. It was a lot to take in and perhaps this was why Haku and Tora had refused to tell me about my past. If only I'd listened to them. Ignorance was bliss, a bliss I had carelessly and foolishly thrown away.

"I just… I just need some time to think," I finally said, surprising myself with the calmness of my voice, "it's a lot to take in and I want to be alone for now."

Noticing them exchange worried glances, I cut in before they could argue, "Don't worry about me. I'm not going to do anything weird, promise."

Haku gave me an uncomfortable look. "Are you sure you don't want us to be with you?"

I nodded and tried smiling, but it failed rather badly. "I'm sure."

Tora tapped his shoulder and with gestured to the door, leaving first. "Take your time, Chihiro," he called out behind him.

"If you need me, just call for me." Haku rose to his feet but before leaving, planted a kiss on my forehead. Normally I would have blushed but like I'd mentioned, I was feeling numb.

After they closed the door, I sat and stared at the floorboards blankly. Something was weighing heavily on my heart and I knew it was guilt.

So I was the cause of my parents' deaths… Yet for some odd reason I was feeling rather calm. Granted, I was still a little shaken, but I was calmer than I thought I'd be. But then there was the guilt that made me feel horrible about myself.

'_It was an accident, no one meant for it to happen,'_ the rationale part of me said. And I agreed with that part of me. The dream was very fuzzy, so I did not manage to catch the appearances of my parents. But from what I knew from Haku and Tora, they were doing safe and were well.

Good to know. So now I had another piece of my memory back. Maybe ignorance was bliss, but the more daring and bolder side of me had a strong desire to find the rest of the pieces to my memory. It'd be a long and hard journey, but with Haku and Tora on my side, everything would be alright.

* * *

[Hades' P.O.V]

'_So…' _I thought to myself, smiling,_ 'she's finally remembered? Hmm… she's not as depressed and all like the last time. The fun's gone. Oh well, no matter. I don't actually have much of a need for her anymore anyway. Things are only going to get better from here. Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi and my dear Toranosuke are going to get the surprise of their lives.'_

* * *

A/N: Sorry, this chapter may have been a little shabby, but this is all I can come up with at the moment. This writer's block is really getting to me… And I really apologize for MIA-ing for so long! Writer's block! D: I'll try to come up with the next chapter asap! If I have to, I'll do up pre-written chapters too haha. (:

And yes, to you people who thought this was a love triangle, you were wrong. *evil smile* Okay, partially correct, but from the start I never intended for Tora to have feelings for her. Him as an older brother would be alright. :D

So thank you guys for all your patience! A big thank-you to my great reviewees:

**WhiteTiger246, EasternWindDragon, JustMe279, YiLuLu303, Ialiceiamagodness, Ryu no Kokoro, toastedCroissants, Angelic Toaster, pillowpandabear994 and Otakusofia! **

Glad you guys liked the fluff. ;) So I guess you'll be seeing me again soon? I hope the writing gets better… But I'm so tired tonight so haha this is the best I can come up with for now. Sorry! And thanks again for your patience! 3 Love you guys and God bless! ^^

Otakusofia: LOL OMG HAHAHAHA DUDE CHILL YOU'RE KILLING ME AHAHAHAHAHA. Thanks for your support gurl! 3


	29. Things Gone Wrong

The Lost Spirit: Things Gone Wrong

[Chihiro's P.O.V]

Looking longingly outside, I silently pointed to the window and pouted at the two boys for about the thousandth time. "I want to go outside." I sounded like a kid, but I didn't care. It was just too stuffy in the cramped cottage. Air. I needed air desperately.

"You know you can't go out, Chihiro. If you're that hot I don't mind pouring cold water all over you so you can cool down," Haku responded.

Narrowing my eyes at him, I went over and plopped down on the couch beside him. I folded my arms and began to kick him lightly. "What?"

"Nothing," I answered monotonously, "I'm just bored."

"Alright, I'm heading out." Tora got up and dusted himself off before heading towards the door. I leapt up in a flash and was sidled next to him with a wide grin on my face.

"Can I come too?"

"No," he shot me a _we've-gone-through-this_ look, "you're not allowed outside for your safety."

"But why are you going out, anyway?"

Raking his fingers through his hair, he sighed. "I'm going to report to Master."

"What?" Haku and I exclaimed simultaneously.

"I said, I'm—"

"We heard you fine," Haku said, getting up and walking towards us. "Are you stupid? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"Tora, you can't go!" I cried, clinging on to his clothes.

"I'll be fine, Chihiro." Tora pried my hands off of his shirt and straightened it out. "And Haku, I'll be counting on you to take care of Chihiro. I should be back by the end of the day."

"And if you don't?"

"Make sure Chihiro doesn't try rescuing me or pull any stunts like that. And stay in the cottage at _all_ times. Got it?"

"No!" I interjected fiercely. "If you're not back by sundown, we're going after you."

"Chihiro, stop being so stubborn, you can't protect yourself."

"I'm the one being stubborn? You're the one who's going out! That's practically suicide!" Anger welled up in me. Why was Tora being so stubborn? Why couldn't he just stay in the cottage? It was too dangerous for him, and I just wanted him to be safe. I would take back everything I said about wanting to go out if he would just listen to the both of us.

"Chihiro, it's okay." This time Haku took my hands in his and patted Tora's shoulder.

"I trust you'll be back by the end of today, then."

"I will."

"What are you doing? Haku! You can't let him go!" I protested.

"He knows what he's doing, I know what I'm doing, and you need to trust us," Haku replied patiently.

"Trust me, I'll be fine. Don't worry. I'll be back." Tora smiled and pulled me in for a warm hug.

I sighed inwardly and willed the doubt in my mind to clear. If he said he'd be fine, then he'd be alright.

"Promise?" The words escaped my mouth before I could stop them.

Pausing for a few seconds before letting go, he answered, "Pinky promise."

We hooked our pinkies together and I smiled. We were so childish. Haku and I waved him goodbye and the next thing I knew, Tora was already gone.

"Now all we have to do is wait for him to come back," I said to no one in particular. Haku looked at me and squeezed my shoulder. He nodded in silent agreement.

"Well then," he started after a few moments, "what would you like to do?"

"If I say I want to go outside, would you let me?"

"No."

"Then I don't want to do anything." Pouting, I sidestepped him and trudged into the bedroom, sulking with all my might.

"I'm sure there's something we can do, Chihiro."

Being the stubborn kid I was, I pulled the sheets over my head, shifted into a fetal position, facing away from Haku. "Go away…" my voice was muffled by the cloths on my mouth.

"Right, I'll be doing that." He pulled the covers off me and I groaned, shielding my eyes from the light, looking like a crazed vampire. "Fine, if you want me to find something to do, then I've thought of something." I knew he was not going to like it, but it was worth a try, and it was better than me trying to hibernate the entire day while he would be there pestering me like a pesky fly.

"So?" he raised his eyebrow.

"Tell me everything."

"About what?" I gave him a look and he paused before answering, "Oh."

"I know it's not the best thing to do, but it's better than worrying about Tora. And in any case, maybe I might remember and then I could be of some help instead of being a burden that does nothing but trouble others."

He let out a sigh of defeat at the sight of my determined face and I returned it with a smug look. "Very well. Where would you like me to begin?"

"From the beginning."

"Alright. That would be the first time we met."

He sat down beside me on the bed and my ears perked up in full attention, anticipating the story.

"When you were little, you were out on a family outing by the Kohaku River, which is also my river. Somehow you ended up dropping your little pink shoe into my river and when you tried to retrieve it, you fell in and nearly drowned."

"And then you saved me?"

He nodded, and I couldn't help but notice the pink tint that was appearing on his cheeks. I smiled. "Thanks."

"There's no need for that. So when you were 10, you and your parents entered this world, the Spirit World by accident. Your parents, under the temptation of the smell of the food meant for the spirits, mistakenly ate them and ended up being turned into pigs by Yubaba. They were then kept captive in the bathhouse in the pig pens, being prepared and fattened up for the time they'd need to be eaten just like all the other pigs."

My eyes widened. So my parents turned into pigs. That was quite an interesting development of the story. And it did sound quite familiar, except it was rather, no, very blurry.

"Then what happened to me?"

The corner of his lips turned up with a twinkle in his eye. "That was when we met the second time."

"What are the odds," I muttered.

"Indeed. You had left your parents to eat, presumably to explore the area, and then you arrived at the bridge leading to the bathhouse. While you were looking at the passing train over the railings, I spotted you. I was surprised, to be honest. At first I didn't remember who you were, but I was shocked to see a human in this world, because humans weren't supposed to be here. And so I hurried you out of there, trying to get you and your parents to hurry and get across the river back into your world or you'd all be trapped in this dangerous world."

"In short, you didn't make it across the river in time, and your parents had been taken into the pig pens so while the other workers were getting ready to open the bathhouse for business, I snuck out to find you. And there you were, squatting all alone in a corner in a little ball, like a frightened little puppy."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Hey."

"What? Was that an insult?"

"Puppies are too cute and squishy. I'm nothing like that sort of girl," I retorted for my childish pride.

"Okay, I apologize," he said with a mischievous glint in his eyes, smirking at me. "So back to the story, I gave you some food from this world because you were already beginning to disappear. And then I snuck you into the bathhouse, where I sent you to get to the boiler room and approach Kamaji to get a job in the bathhouse so that Yubaba wouldn't harm you. And at that point in time, somehow in the back of my mind I could remember your name, though I couldn't remember mine, nor any other memories I had other than those created after being hired by Yubaba."

"Why couldn't you remember? Did you hit your head and get amnesia or something?"

"Nothing of the sort. Yubaba was and is the witch controlling the bathhouse. She controls her workers by stealing their names. Spirits' identities are priceless here, so by stealing their identity, she basically stole everything from them, including their memories. But for some reason, I could remember your name distinctly, which was rather odd."

Now it was my turn to blush. It was kind of sweet that he actually remembered my name when we had only met once and when he wasn't supposed to be able to recall anything related to me or his past at all. "Thanks?"

Haku smirked, his eyes boring into mine. "I know you're wondering how come I remembered your name. Do you want to know why?"

Something told me it was a bad idea because he was most probably going to take advantage of the opportunity to tease me. But against my better judgment, I nodded, wanting to see where this would go.

"I would suppose," he began, edging closer to me, "that I had taken a liking to you the first time we met already." Now his face was too close to mine for comfort, making me back away in embarrassment.

"You sound like a pedophile, Haku. I was only a wee little girl at that time!" I rebutted, silently praising myself for the intelligent comeback.

In a flash, Haku had moved away from me and even put extra distance between us, flushing. "I-I'm not a pedophile! I don't know what it was, either!"

Erupting in laughter, I clutched my stomach and hit Haku on the back playfully. "I was just kidding, Haku. You don't have to take things so seriously."

Now scowling at me with a scarlet face, he decided to take revenge by pinning me on the bed. "You want to know what else I take seriously?"

I gulped, even the hint of a smile erased from my face as heat began to grow on my cheeks. "W-What?" I was almost too scared to ask.

"You." He smirked when my cheeks predictably turned a dark shade of red, and to finish it off, he planted a swift kiss on my cheek before sitting back up to continue the story.

It was now my turn to scowl at his smug face. "Do you want me to continue telling the story or what?"

"Continue," I snapped.

"In the end you managed to earn a job from Yubaba, and I assigned you to Lin, who had mentioned that she needed an assistant. The two of you bonded quite well, just like sisters. And Kamaji treated you just like his very own granddaughter. You fared pretty well in the bathhouse for a human, impressively serving a customer who was thought to be a stink spirit at first, while he was in fact a very wealthy spirit. A lot of things happened in the bathhouse while you were around, but I wasn't there for some of it because I was under orders from Yubaba to steal Zeniba's golden seal."

"Who's Zeniba?"

"She's Yubaba's twin sister, but with a polar opposite personality. She's very kind and loving, but also quite wealthy though she stays in a modest home. That's where your parents and I are putting up in for the time being, by the way. Her golden seal has very strong powers, and Yubaba coveted it. So she ordered me, her henchman to steal it for her. I ended up getting injured very badly in the process and nearly died, had it not been for you and Kamaji who nursed me back to health."

"Wow… Wait, but, why would you steal from Zeniba if she's such a nice person?"

"Yubaba was controlling me with a leech that she had placed in me so I had to do her bidding blindly."

"That's horrible…" I murmured, wondering how he had had to put up with such a slave driver in the past. He must have been running around doing all sorts of 'errands' on her behalf while working under her.

"I'm alright now, because you were the one who gave me back my name."

Now that caught my attention. "I what?"

"You gave me back my name," he repeated every syllable slowly, as if speaking to a five-year-old child.

"I heard you fine, you idiot, I'm talking about how is it possible for me to give you back your name?"

"You remembered our first meeting, was all."

"So that was it? I just remembered your name and you were free to leave?"

"Don't dismiss it as something minor, Chihiro. You gave me my life back. And that's not something small."

"And you saved my life too, so I guess we're even, in a sense then, I guess?"

"I guess… except that every day after you left the Spirit World safely with your parents, I've been wanting to fulfill my promise to you—"

"What promise are you talking about?"

Hurt seemed to flash across his eyes and for a second I felt guilty for not remembering something so important to us.

"I'm sorry…"

"No, it's not your fault. I almost forgot that you have amnesia."

"So what was the promise?"

"I promised that we would meet again, and every day after that incident I've always wanted to look for you, but I didn't, because of Yubaba."

"Why? Weren't you free already when you got your name back?"

"Yes, I was, but after the incident with No-Face—"

"Who's No-Face?" I asked with a quizzical look on my face, which must have looked funny because he looked amused.

"He used to be a very greedy spirit and wrecked a lot of havoc in the bathhouse because of your kind nature when you let him in."

"Oh."

"Don't worry, he's a very gentle spirit. He's also one of your good friends, you just haven't met him yet. He stays at Zeniba's too."

"I hope I'll see him soon."

He nodded in agreement. "Yubaba demanded I stayed to compensate her, and something was different in her; she had changed for the worse. I could sense strongly in my gut that she would hurt Lin and Kamaji badly should I not be there to appease her. And I had to protect them as well. I figured you could wait a little, but I never thought that you'd been going through so much pain at that point in time. I'm… I'm sorry…"

Hearing that, somehow, my body started to move on its own. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug. After a moment's hesitation, I felt him snake his arms around my waist. "I don't blame you, Haku. It's not your fault all this happened. And think about it, if you had gone back for me, who knows what would have happened to Lin and Kamaji? Who knows whether I'd be here as a spirit? Who knows? There're a lot of what ifs in this world, it's just about whether we'll move on, alright?"

He nodded and rested his jaw on my shoulder while I kissed him on the cheek, ignoring the blush that was creeping up my cheeks at the speed of light. "You've matured quite a lot over this period of time, I can tell," he chuckled, holding me tighter.

"Thanks," I smiled, and we pulled apart then for him to kiss me on the nose before moving down to my lips. His lips felt soft against mine and my body felt warmer by the second. I gripped his shirt tighter because I was getting all lightheaded and my heart was the only thing that I could hear. Haku could probably hear it too, I assumed self-consciously.

When we pulled apart, our broad grins were reflected in each other's faces. "Wanna hear the rest of the story?"

"Nah, I'm getting kind of sleepy. Tell me when I wake up before dinner? I want to be there to make sure Tora comes back without a strand of hair missing from that brainless head of his."

"Sure. Go to sleep now. I think you'll need some time to process all this information anyway. I'll be sure to wake you up before Tora gets back so don't worry."

I smiled, "Thanks, Haku."

He planted a kiss on my forehead in response and wordlessly, headed out the door.

And before I knew it, I was fast asleep, my tired mind eager to get the down time it deserved.

* * *

[Haku's P.O.V]

I smiled as I gazed at Chihiro's sleeping face. She looked so vulnerable, innocent and defenseless. It was very cute. Everything about her was cute. If only she could lead a normal, peaceful life… Hopefully everything would be over and done with soon.

I stepped out of the room quietly and went into the living room, looking out into the window. Dark clouds loomed overhead ominously. It was going to rain soon.

Suddenly, there was an odd churning feeling in my stomach, one I could not place. Something was wrong. Closing my eyes, I focused on the clouds and began to search for anything out of the ordinary. An odd sensation filled my being and I could feel gradual heat begin to build up along my veins. In the back of my mind, I could sense a disturbance among the water spirits in the air.

Some investigation was due. Just before I could step out of the cottage though, a bloodcurdling scream ripped me out of my thoughts.

* * *

A/N: Finally an update! For now the writer's block is gone; I've got some stuffies planned, so all good! I'm sorry for not updating for so long; I've been ultra busy and right now it's… almost 2am haha. I didn't really have time (or the energy) to proofread so I only skimmed through the chapter. I'll check another time and update should there be any editing required yeah!

The update has been bugging me for a long time because I love you guys so much, and especially after seeing your endearing reviews, I was more motivated to hurry up with the next chapter! I'm really thankful for your patience and I hope you liked the little bit of fluff I added to the chapter! (:

So the school term has started, and I'm not too sure I can guarantee a one-week update anymore, for now at least, because I have an outline of my schedule for the next 3 weeks, and it's not pretty… I'll try my best though! Thank you for all your support so far! It really means a lot to me! ^~^

Thank you to my amazing reviewees:

**WhiteTiger246, Hana no Kamisama, FreeHummingbird11, YiLuLu203, pillowpandabear994, Guest, PianoPanda12, fandomnerd12, irgroomer, BIGGEST FAN **and** AnimeLuver202!** ^~^

You guys are so super ultra great! Thanks for your encouraging words peeps! :DD Btw I may not have replied to your reviews cuz' I may have forgotten. Sorry about that! XD

P.S. For this chapter, if you liked it, leave a review please? Thanks haha! ;)

Guest: Loool you're so funny x) Love you too darl haha!

BIGGEST FAN: LOL HAHAHA your name is sooo cuutteee hahaha :D Liked the update? ;)

AnimeLuver202: Haha thanks! Don't worry, I have no intentions at all on leaving this un-updated for too long, nor am I ever going to give up on a piece of writing I start. (:


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